Chelsea found guilty of 150 transfer rule breaches involving 69 different players
The full extent of the Fifa rules breaches that led to Chelsea’s transfer embargo was revealed on Thursday, with the club found guilty after appeal of 150 breaches of transfer rules involving 69 different academy-age players over the last 10 years.
Fifa published the appeal verdict detailing Chelsea’s lawyers’ attempts in April to overturn the two-transfer window embargo – arguing that unregistered academy players were simply triallists, including one who had appeared in 75 games over the course of three seasons.
The club also made the case that Premier League academy games were not strictly association football, as recognised by Fifa, in order to try to circumvent the rule that non-registered players could not represent the club. In this instance, they cited evidence from the Premier League’s technical director Richard Garlick on the basis that the games were not directly authorised by the Football Association.
In both cases, the Fifa appeals committee took a dim view of the arguments advanced by the club. It upheld the decision to ban them from signing any players for two transfer windows – encompassing last summer and the coming January – with the exception of English academy players under the age of 16. The club’s fine of 600,000 CHF (£470,000), as well as legal costs was also upheld.
Of the 150 violations there were 27 breaches in signing underage players from abroad, or registering foreign underage players for the first time, and a further 123 breaches of procedure and Fifa articles involving a further 42 players.
It is understood that the club believe the 27 breaches, those covering the signing of underage players from abroad and the registering foreign underage players for the first time, are the basis for Fifa’s sanctions. But that is not made explicit in the Fifa appeal committee document which refers to the “infractions” en masse, describing them as “inexcusable” and saying that they must be “punished accordingly”
Overall, the Fifa appeals committee findings revealed a club where promising boys from overseas were routinely brought in to the academy to represent Chelsea in Premier League-sanctioned games despite the laws governing the transfer of minors. It is prohibited to sign child footballers under the age of 16 from clubs in fellow European Union countries.
For those outside the EU, there is an international transfer ban on all under the age of 18. As well as 148 breaches of that law, Chelsea were also found guilty in two cases of influencing the transfer policy of two clubs: Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and the current Dutch champions Ajax.
In both cases Fifa’s disciplinary committee found that agreements had been signed that prevented Rangers and Ajax from loaning certain players – or even negotiating their loan – without the consent of Chelsea. The Fifa appeal committee found against Chelsea in that case too, arguing that “in order to be considered truly independent, [clubs] shall be free to negotiate and loan their players with no need to obtain the authorization from another club.”
None of the players whose transfers Chelsea found themselves sanctioned over were named in the document. Nevertheless, in July 2017 Chelsea announced the signing of the then 16-year-old Billy Gilmour from Rangers a month after his 16th birthday.
That was the youngest age at which he could transfer from a Scottish club to one in England, with Fifa rules dictating that constitutes an international transfer. Gilmour made his senior debut this season under manager Frank Lampard.
Among the many cases of unnamed players who were brought to Chelsea unregistered and represented the club’s academy sides it was the case of “Player 6” that demonstrated the most serious flouting of the rules.
He first came over at the age of 13 in September 2013 and was registered as a six-week triallist in three consecutive seasons between 2013 and 2015. In that time he played 75 games in the Premier League’s academy leagues despite never being registered with the FA.
Chelsea tried to argue that those games did not represent “organised football”, a key theme of their defence. They argued that because he was never registered with the FA it could not be argued that he had been transferred across international borders as prohibited by Fifa.
The appeal committee pointed out that playing 75 games was “clear evidence of the relocation of the player’s life.” Another, “Player 20” moved to England aged just 12 in February 2014, playing 47 games in the Premier League programme and another eight in a Premier League tournament before he was eventually registered with the FA aged 16 in August 2017.
In its judgment Fifa said: “The committee is of the firm opinion that the player had been already transferred to CFC [Chelsea] in February 2014 when he started training and playing organised football with the club.” The “Player 27” in the Fifa verdict moved to England and Chelsea aged just 11 with his mother in June 2015 having previously made four visits to the country.
His brother is also named in the document, “Player 25”, and was under the age of 10 when he came to England.
Chelsea claimed that it had taken independent legal advice at the time not to register “Player 25” because of his young age. The club later conceded this advice was “questionable”.
In that respect Fifa found that Chelsea could not blame their own faulty legal advice. “Professional clubs such as CFC [Chelsea] are supposed to be aware of the legal framework within which they operate, including the Fifa regulations. Therefore, the wrong advice given by its former lawyers does not excuse the appellant [Chelsea].”
Chelsea still plan to appeal the ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The club declined to comment on the specifics of the Fifa appeal committee document.
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