Chelsea were given no warning of their
extraordinary two-window transfer ban and believe they are the
victims of an anti-English conspiracy, according to
reports.
Reeling from the ramifications of a ban that will prevent them
signing any new players until January 2011, Chelsea have pledged to
'mount the strongest appeal' against FIFA's ruling. 'Chelsea will
argue that the punishment is disproportionate to the relatively
modest fine imposed and the nature of the offence, while senior
figures at the club - who have maintained their innocence - believe
that they are victims of an anti-English conspiracy at the heart of
Fifa and Uefa,' claims The Times.
The bombshell ruling from FIFA against that the current
leaders of the Premier League was delivered just two days after the
closure of the latest transfer window in which, the signing of Yury
Zhirkov apart, the Stamford Bridge club were mere observers. It
seems as if the club were caught completely by surprise when a fax
was delivered to their offices on Thursday afternoon informing them
of their punishment.
'Chelsea were stunned as they had not been expecting a verdict
for another three months,' reports The Times, while a concurring
Daily Mail adds that, 'The announcement took Chelsea by surprise,
given it usually takes FIFA's dispute resolution chamber two or
three months to reach a decision.
'The hearing for this case only took place last week. According
to one source, it is partly because the world governing body has
lost patience with Chelsea for what is seen as arrogance over the
way they sometimes conduct transfers. So much so that Sportsmail
understands former employees have been approached in recent months
to assist with their investigation.'
Having announced their intention to appeal, Chelsea will be
hopeful that, following the outcome of a similar case involving
Roma in 2005, their two-window punishment will be halved by the
Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
However, says The Times, 'Any attempts by Chelsea to delay the
hearing in the hope of having the transfer ban frozen by the CAS,
thereby enabling them to buy players in January, are likely to fail
as Fifa seems certain to fast-track the appeal.'
