Chelsea were handed a transfer ban preventing them from purchasing players for two transfer windows by Fifa last week after allegedly breaching rules in relation to signing foreign players under the age of 18.
The Blues were also fined £460,000 after the Fifa investigation found 29 transfers had breached the rules, including the signing of Bertrand Traore, and the Football Association also received a fine of £390,000.
Chelsea immediately appealed the decision despite anticipating the sanction for some time, and in doing so have potentially bought themselves time to strengthen their squad in this summer’s transfer window given how long the Fifa appeals process takes.
The Blues successfully appealed against a Fifa transfer ban in 2009 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled there was no wrongdoing in the transfer of winger Gael Kakuta, but it is unclear whether Chelsea’s latest appeal will be successful.
Regardless of the outcome of the Blues’ appeal, we’ve identified five positives should the transfer ban stand.
