Chelsea Get FIFA Transfer Ban For Kakuta Tapping

FIFA today found Chelsea Football Club guilty of committing ‘tapping-up’ offences and dished out a ban prohibiting the club from signing players during the next two transfer windows. The case in question relates to the signing of young, highly-rated, French winger, Gael Kakuta, from Ligue Un club Lens in 2007.

Gael Kakuta – another Frank Arnesen masterstroke.

While the likes of Real Madrid and Inter Milan are licking their lips at the prospect of having a clearer route to their targets, Chelsea have understandably reacted angrily to the FIFA verdict. While both club and player have been hit with exorbitant fines and Kakuta is suspended from action for 4 months, it is the transfer handicap that has particularly irked those high up at Stamford Bridge. Arguing the punishment does not fit the crime, Roman’s soldiers will be working in overdrive for the next few weeks developing a case for their appeal.

A case study to which Chelsea lawyers will logically refer is the Essam El Hadary tapping up affair at FC Sion back in April. In that instance FIFA prevented the Swiss club from adding new players for this past summer transfer window. But that wasn’t entirely adhered to. FC Sion subsequently appealed the original FIFA decision and whilst the Court of Arbitration for Sport examines the case, sanctions have been frozen allowing Paraguayan defender Robert Servin and others to enter into the fold before such restrictions come into effect.

While this story is destined to rumble on, what is clear for all to see is Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini’s complete abhorrence for all things Premiership. Let’s be honest, where there is beauty, the beast is not far away. Amidst the genius of an Adebayor and the energy of a Mascherano lies an underworld of dirty agents, tricky scouts and money laundering that only Frank Arnesen can really clue us in on. But tapping up occurs every day, all over the continent. This time, the opportunity to nail one of the big boys was too tasty to pass over. And in fact, there is gossip to the effect that a similar matter relating to Man United is being looked at by Blatter’s toddies.

Reports emerged several days ago that Roman Abramovich had come to Platini pleading for the UEFA president to instill some kind of restriction on big money spending. I don’t think this is what he had in mind.

Blatter and Platini kit up... fat chance.