Chelsea are considering citing the more lenient punishment handed down by FIFA to English rivals Manchester City when they take their challenge to their transfer ban to the sports arbitration court.
City were given a £315,000 fine but escaped a transfer ban after the world football body found that they had broken strict rules over the signing of under-18 players. Chelsea were handed a two-window transfer ban earlier this year and fined more than £460,000 for similar offences relating to their own signings of youth players.
Chelsea have now served half of the ban, but as things stand will still not be allowed to sign new players in next January’s transfer window.
The club is taking its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, with a hearing due to take place later this year.
That City dodged a transfer ban is thought to strengthen Chelsea’s case.
Fifa officials are adamant that City avoided a ban and were given a smaller fine than Chelsea because the circumstances of their case were different.
Fifa also issued a clarification that said that City’s admission of responsibility was taken into consideration before their punishment was decided.
Having the opportunity to bring in new faces at the start of next year could come as an important boost for Chelsea’s young boss, Frank Lampard, whose initiation to management in the Premier League has included the departure of star player Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, without the opportunity of being able to identify and sign a replacement during the summer transfer window.
