Fifa respond to Chelsea’s appeal against transfer ban

FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that English Premier League club Chelsea have appealed against a transfer ban imposed after they were found guilty of breaching rules on overseas players under the age of 18. Chelsea, also fined £460,300, have been found to have fallen foul of their rules over the acquisition of 29 players under the age of 18 and also suggested that there have been a number of other infringements following the conclusion of a three-year investigation. 

The club confirmed on the day of the sanction that an appeal would be submitted but Fifa, upon confirmation of the news, did not give a schedule for the process nor say whether the ban would be lifted pending the appeal hearing. “Any decision on the sanction remaining in place during the appeal process is to be taken by the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee,” it said.

Chelsea immediately responded to the punishment by claiming that they had “acted in accordance with the relevant regulations” as well as revealing they were “extremely disappointed” by FIFA’s decision. The statement read: “Chelsea FC categorically refutes the findings of the FIFA disciplinary committee and will therefore be appealing the decision. “The club wishes to emphasise that it respects the important work undertaken by FIFA in relation to the protection of minors and has fully cooperated with FIFA throughout its investigation. Chelsea FC acted in accordance with the relevant regulations and will shortly be submitting its appeal to FIFA.”

Temporarily lifting the sanction during an appeal process is a tactic that La Liga giants Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid used in recent years when they have been found guilty of the same offense.