June 7 – Reportedly about to lose their star player Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, Chelsea have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against being slapped with a two-window transfer ban by FIFA after being found guilty in February of illegally signing no fewer than 29 under-age foreign players.
Following an investigation into their signing of foreign under-18 players, FIFA banned the club from signing players until the end of January 2020 and Chelsea have already failed with their first appeal to the world governing body.
The transfer window closes on August 8 and CAS says “it is not possible” to say when it will make a decision.
Interestingly, Chelsea have not asked for the ban to be lifted while CAS considers its decision. They signed United States winger Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for £58 million in January, before their ban was imposed. They are also appealing against their £460,000 fine.
Unlike most clubs, Chelsea are fortunate in having a number of high-profile players out on loan last season who now seem likely to be recalled.
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