FIFA bans Chelsea from signing players

London, Feb 22 (IANS) The governing body of world football FIFA on Friday confirmed that English Premier League club Chelsea have been banned from making any signings for the next two transfer windows after breaching rules over signing minors.Chelsea were found guilty of 29 cases of breaching Article 19 of FIFA's rules, which are related to signing players under 18 years old and have also been fined around 600,000 Swiss Francs ($600,000), although they can appeal the decision, reports Xinhua news agency.The decision means Chelsea will not be able to buy any players until the summer of 2020, although they will still be allowed to sell."This ban applies to the club as a whole - with the exception of the women's and futsal teams - and does not prevent the release of players," confirmed FIFA in their statement.Chelsea are not the only big club to receive similar punishments from FIFA with Spanish sides FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all being punished in the past for irregularities in their youth systems.
--IANS gau/ab