Chelsea risking transfer ban by FIFA
- Nima Tavallaey Roodsari (@NimaTavRood)
According to the report the investigation began this past September and after the initial investigation the club is being accused of breaking the rules regarding 25 minors but that number could rise as the matter now is handed over to FIFA's disciplinary committee which has the power to hand out punishment, with a ban on transfers being the more severe punishment available.
If convicted Chelsea will be the fourth big club in recent years for violating FIFA's rules regarding the transfer of minors following La Liga trio Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona who were all banned from signing players during two transfer windows.
According to The Guardian: "The initial investigation into Chelsea was carried out by the compliance unit of Fifa’s transfer matching system (TMS) and it is believed it was first alerted by the case of Bertrand Traoré, the Burkina Faso forward. He was signed to professional terms by Chelsea on 1 January 2014, the day the transfer window opened after his 18th birthday, but pictures would emerge of him playing for the club against Arsenal in a “non-competitive” game on 23 October 2011, when he was 16. The pictures came to Fifa’s attention in January 2016."
Chelsea must now prove facts and figures for a total of 25 players such as registration details and which matches they have played and a spokesperson for the club stated that: "Chelsea FC complies with all Fifa statutes and regulations when recruiting players."