Chelsea will not have the right to transfer players to the next two transient deadlines, due to the penalty that FIFA took today. This means that the Londoners must find another way to reinforce the team.
The governing body of world football has announced today that Chelsea has been convicted for violating rules on the registration of players under the age of 18. Moreover, Chelsea and the Football Federation of England have also received fines for this.
However, Chelsea and the Football Federation of England are expected to appeal this decision tomorrow, through the FIFA Appeals Committee.
Why has Chelsea been convicted?
Chelsea has been convicted because FIFA has found irregularities in how the club has transferred and recorded foreign players under the age of 18. FIFA mentions 29 such cases, but it is not clear what those cases are.
The English club has also been sentenced as it has affected, as a third club, in two cases, for transferring new players to other clubs.
In addition to the suspended sentence for the next two transitional deadlines, FIFA has fined about 500,000 euros Chelsea and about 420,000 euros in the Football Federation of England.
Appeal Process
Chelsea has the right to appeal and the club is expected to use this opportunity tomorrow, via the FIFA Appeals Committee. Based on preliminary cases, the decision-making process can take two to three months.
If Chelsea is not happy either with the decision of the Appeal Committee, then it may appeal the decision to the Arbitration Court of Sport, which would take several months.
The Chelsea penalty is valid for the next two transient deadlines, namely the passage of this year’s summer and the January transfer deadline next year.
However, if club leaders decide to appeal this decision, then the sentence will be suspended until the final decision is taken.
This would create the chance for English players to transfer players during the summer transfer window, since even if it is decided that FIFA’s decision was fair, it would be valid for the next two transitional deadlines.