FIFA bans Chelsea from signing players until summer 2020

In a statement on Friday morning, Fifa confirmed the club was banned for breaking rules over the acquisition of 29 players under the age of 18 and also suggested that there has been a number of other infringements.

In addition, Chelsea was fined 600,000 Swiss francs ($600,000, 530,000 euros) and given a period of 90 days to regularise the situation of the minor players concerned. The ban does not prevent players from being released by the club and it does not apply to Chelsea’s women’s and futsal teams.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the English club Chelsea FC and The Football Association for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18. Read more on @FIFAcom ?? https://t.co/iTpcozM7Mz

— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) February 22, 2019

In another development, the English FA was also fined £391,459 after they were “found to have breached the rules in connection with minors.”

In a statement released today, the FA said they plan to appeal. Chelsea has also been given three days to appeal against Fifa’s decision. The move follows a Fifa probe into Chelsea’s signing of foreign under-18 players, including the club’s former forward Bertrand Traore, a Burkina Faso international who now plays for French Ligue 1 club, Lyon.

The world governing body has been investigating Chelsea for the past three years and a heavy punishment was expected.

A Fifa statement said: “Chelsea was found to have breached article 19 of the regulations in the case of 29 minor players and to have committed several other infringements relating to registration requirements for players.

“The club also breached article 18bis of the regulations in connection with two agreements it concluded concerning minors and which allowed it to influence other clubs in transfer-related matters.

“The disciplinary committee sanctioned Chelsea with a ban on registering new players at both national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods.

“This ban applies to the club as a whole — with the exception of the women’s and futsal teams — and does not prevent the release of players.

“Additionally, the club was fined 600,000 Swiss francs and given a period of 90 days to regularise the situation of the minor players concerned. The protection of minors is a key element in Fifa’s overall regulatory framework relating to the transfer of players and effective enforcement of these rules is paramount, as also confirmed on various occasions by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“The decisions issued by the disciplinary committee were notified today and can be contested before the Fifa Appeal Committee.”

The FA’s statement added: “The FA has cooperated fully with Fifa’s investigations, although we have raised some concerns with Fifa regarding its disciplinary processes.

“The FA intends to appeal the decision. We will, however, continue to work with Fifa and Chelsea in a constructive manner to address the issues which are raised by this case.”

The club has confirmed they will appeal.