Hazard and Hudson-Odoi’s fate in the balance as Chelsea wait for April hearing

March 26 – The date for Chelsea’s appeal against being slapped with a two-window transfer ban has been set for April 11 after FIFA rejected suspending the ban until the appeal process was completed.

In February the club, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, were found guilty of illegally signing no fewer than 29 under-age foreigners and banned from registering new players until the summer of 2020.

Chelsea have previously said they “categorically refute the findings of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee” which imposed the sanction for breaching rules to protect teenage players under 18.

The club added: “So far as the club is aware, in all previous cases where a registration ban has been imposed by FIFA, a decision has also been made to suspend the sanction until the appeal process has been completed.

“In this case, Chelsea considers that it is being treated inconsistently in comparison with other European clubs. We will consider our next steps once we have received the written reasons for this decision from FIFA.”

Chelsea are prepared to take their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if necessary.

The fate of their appeal will have a pivotal effect on the club’s transfer dealings as well as on the future of a number of key players, including their prized asset Eden Hazard and the highly rated Callum Hudson-Odoi – who has just received his first England cap at the age of 18 – both of whom have been linked with a move away.

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