Chelsea have confirmed that they are appealing against FIFA’s ruling to ban them from registering players for two transfer windows.
That’s according to the BBC, who were among the first to get the story confirmed.
It was always expected that the club would make this move, whether or not they think the appeal will succeed.
The very act of launching the appeal suspends the punishment, and that means at the very least we will be able to buy players this summer – assuming the appeal isn’t heard before then.
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That’s some comfort, as it allows us to plan for a big splurge just before the shutters come down. The flip side to that is every team will know our situation, and will hold us to ransom, even more than usual.
On the other hand, perhaps the appeal will find in our favour, and we will see our punishment reduced?
We’re not hopeful, but stranger things have happened in football.
