Chelsea handed transfer ban for next two windows | OneFootball

Fifa have hit Chelsea with a transfer ban for the next two windows.

Football’s governing body have ruled the Blues breached regulations around the signing of foreign players under 18.

The Fifa statement says Chelsea have breached Article 19 on 29 separate occasions.

Players under the age of 18 cannot sign for clubs in foreign countries unless their parents have emigrated for non-footballing reasons. Article 19 states that players between 16 and 18 from within the European Union are exempt from this rule.

Chelsea will now not be allowed to register players in the upcoming summer or next January (2020).

The London club have also been fined £460,000 (€528,600).

The Premier League club signed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund in January. He will be eligible for them next season, despite remaining in Germany on loan until May.

Chelsea have released a statement saying they “categorically refute” Fifa’s findings and will make an appeal.

Spanish giants Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid have all been hit by similar transfer bans in recent years, though Real Madrid had their ban reduced to one transfer window when their appeal was successful.