Real Madrid’s transfer ban has been cut, allowing the club to sign players sooner than expected.

The court of arbitration for sport says it partially upheld Real’s appeal against Fifa, and the club remain barred from registering new players in January but they can now sign players in the summer transfer window.

Fifa had imposed a one-year transfer ban in January. Its appeal panel confirmed the sanction to take effect in 2017.

Real denied wrongdoing in signing young players from outside Spain who played in games since 2005. The case involved the sons of their coach, Zinedine Zidane.

Real said in a statement: “The court of arbitration for sport has today informed Real Madrid of their decision by which they have partially upheld the appeal lodged by the club against the Fifa resolution which imposed a sanction forbidding the signing of players for two transfer windows, reducing said sanction to just one period, corresponding to the January 2017 transfer window.

“The decision highlights the injustice of the original ban imposed by Fifa, although the club regrets the Cas lacked the courage to revoke the ruling entirely.”