Aston Villa will take their appeal to formally register 17-year-old January signing Brian Madjo to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on July 1.The date, which had been formally set in recent weeks, will hear Villa’s appeal to register Madjo before he turns 18 in January 2027, having had the initial case dismissed by FIFA.Villa appealed against FIFA’s initial decision, in the hope that Madjo, who signed from Metz in January 2026 in a deal worth £10million, will be able to feature before his next birthday.CAS will hear the case, with Villa the appellant and FIFA as the respondent.FIFA has not responded to The Athletic’s requests for comment.
Madjo is yet to make an appearance in any of Villa’s teams after FIFA rejected his registration on the grounds that the teenager was joining from an overseas club and was under 18, which, under Article 19 of the world governing body’s regulations, prohibits international transfers of players under 18.This is despite Madjo being born in England and to Cameroonian parents.Madjo grew up in Luxembourg, and does not turn 18 for another six months — when he would be allowed to complete his registration. A similar situation occurred in 2024, when Villa purchased academy Ethan Amundsen-Day from Copenhagen. The Premier League outfit had to wait until the Norway youth defender turned 18 to play him, even though he was born in Leeds.The Athletic reported in March that Villa remained in the process of registering Madjo. From sources close to the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, there was frustration that the process to register the striker is taking so long, having wanted to get Madjo up to speed sooner.In the second half of last season, Madjo was allowed to train with the first team and impressed, with Emery keen to have him involved in a matchday, but he remained ineligible.When approached by The Athletic, Villa refused to comment.
