Cardiff City could be banned from signing players for three transfer windows if they do not pay the first installment of their €17million transfer fee of striker Emiliano Sala.

FIFA concluded at the end of September that Cardiff owes Nantes 6 million euro - plus 5 percent interest from the end of January and must pay within 45 days.

The documents were only published on Monday and Cardiff appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the start of October

Cardiff and Nantes have been in dispute over the transfer fee for Sala, who died in January when his plane crashed while travelling from France to Wales.

The Bluebirds had agreed a €17million transfer fee before the tragic incident and were due to pay the first instalment of €6m within five days of the player registering with Cardiff.

FIFA's Players' Status Committee stated that if Cardiff do not pay the €6m within 45 days of receiving bank details from Nantes, "a ban from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the maximum duration of three entire and consecutive registration periods shall become effective"

FIFA's ruling argued that the transfer had been officially completed before Sala's death and therefore Cardiff remained obliged to make payment.

Cardiff have argued they were not liable for any of the full fee because Sala was not officially their player when he died.