FIFA has decided to ban Chelsea from signing new players until 2011. The ruling was based on a disagreement between the French Football/Soccer Club Lens, Chelsea, and the French winger Gael Kakuta.

The beginning of the events that lead to the decision by FIFA against Chelsea was the decision by the Stamford Bridge club to sign Kakuta in the year 2007. The response from Lens was to initiate a breach of contract and inducement to breach of contract against Kakuta and Chelsea before the FIFA DRC [Dispute Resolution Chamber].

Gervais Martel [who is President of Lens] praised the results and said that a lesson should be learned that «big clubs must adhere to rules». Mr. Martel also stated that Chelsea stole Kakuta from his team. The ruling not only prohibits Chelsea from signing new players but fines the club 130,000 Euros to Lens in the form of «training compensation» while Kakuta is banned from four games.

It is often wandered if Chelsea has been singled out unfairly. Phil Mc Nulty who is a sports broadcaster for BBC Sports remarked that «Naivety has been stretched if FIFA thinks Chelsea is the only club guilty of this type of behavior [luring players]». At the same time, FIFA has acted against clubs doung the same thing.

FIFA once punished FC Sion of Switzerland for luring Essam Al Hadary [who is the Egyptian Goalkeeper for the Al-Ahly team] to their team before the expiration of his contract. Essam Al Hadary was also punished with a four month ban. FC Sion subsequently made an appeal to the CAS [Court of Arbitration For Sports].

Chelsea has announced a similar move. The underwriter tends to agree with Mr. Mc Nulty since most clubs may be committing the act of luring players to their club. It remains to be seen how all of this will play out.