FIFA receives Chelsea appeal against 1-year transfer ban

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA says it received Chelsea’s appeal against a one-year transfer ban, though no decision has been taken on freezing the sanction during the legal process.

Chelsea previously said it would challenge the ban on registering new players through January 2020 which FIFA imposed for breaching rules to protect teenage players.

In similar cases, FIFA has agreed not to enforce the ban during the appeal process.

That let Barcelona and Real Madrid sign players in anticipation of their bans taking effect. Barcelona eventually could not register new players for two trading periods, and Madrid served a one-period ban.

FIFA says “there is no exact timetable” for Chelsea’s case, and the appeal panel chairman must decide on freezing the punishment.

Chelsea was judged to have violated rules protecting minors in 29 cases.