FIFA to study Chelsea’s appeal against transfer ban

The Premier League side has been banned from signing players for the next two transfer windows.

Chelsea has been punished for breaching regulations relating to the recruitment of minors.

World football’s governing body FIFA will study an appeal by Chelsea on Thursday against a ban that currently means the Premier League giant will be unable to recruit new players this summer or in the January, 2020, transfer window. The Blues were banned from signing players for the next two transfer windows after being found guilty in February of breaching regulations relating to the recruitment of minors.

Chelsea denied any wrongdoing and subsequently lodged an appeal with FIFA, which will be examined on Thursday, although a decision could take weeks. Chelsea was left “astonished” by the FIFA Appeal Committee’s decision not to suspend its sanction pending completion of the appeal process.

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The goal, according to a source, is to deliver the decision “before the opening of the summer transfer window” to allow the club possible recourse to the Court of Arbitration for Sport should the appeal go against it.

Chelsea will eagerly await the FIFA decision, notably because under the ban the club would be unable to sign a replacement for Belgium striker Eden Hazard, who is being touted as a possible EUR 116 million (USD 131 million) transfer target for Real Madrid.