In late February, FIFA ruled that Chelsea Football Club is prohibited from signing any new players until the summer of 2020. The two window transfer ban is a result of a three-year investigation into the signing of players under the age of 18. Chelsea appealed the ban, and today saw FIFA reject that appeal.
The football governing body found them guilty of breaching rules relating to the transfers of 29 players under the age of 18, along with a fine of £460,000. However, FIFA will still allow the club to continue to signing players under the age of 16, as their Appeals Committee ruled that restricting the acquisition of U16 players was “not proportionate” to the rules and ethics breaches committed by Chelsea FC.
The next step now is an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and Chelsea have already publicly stated that will do so. If the two window transfer ban does indeed stand, there are many ripple effects that will follow, and in February we listed them out at this link.
If Eden Hazard leaves for Real Madrid, and Chelsea isn’t allowed to buy anyone to try and replace him for awhile, well you can see where that could go.
But we’re not there yet. Chelsea released a statement today that included the following: “the Club is very disappointed that the transfer ban of two consecutive registration periods was not overturned.”
“Chelsea FC categorically refutes the findings of the FIFA Appeal Committee. It acted in accordance with the relevant regulations and will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).”
With Real Madrid also interested in Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, they might not be able to afford both, and perhaps Hazard will be the one who doesn’t make the move.
We might start to see some answers come June 11, when the summer transfer window opens. Maybe.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets:Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, also contributes to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.