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Chelsea 'astonished' as FIFA denies request to delay transfer ban

Shaun Brooks / Action Plus / Getty

FIFA's appeals committee has rejected a request from Chelsea to freeze a one-year transfer ban while the Premier League club contests the charge, according to The Associated Press.

Chelsea have been banned from registering new players during the next two transfer windows for violating rules that govern the signing of teenage players.

The club was charged by FIFA after it noted violations in 29 of 92 cases investigated. The Blues, who have denied any wrongdoing, were also fined £460,000.

"Chelsea Football Club is astonished by the FIFA Appeal Committee's decision not to suspend its sanction pending completion of the appeal process," a statement from the club read Friday. "So far as the club is aware, in all previous cases where a registration ban has been imposed by FIFA, a decision has also been made to suspend the sanction until the appeal process has been completed. In this case, Chelsea considers that it is being treated inconsistently in comparison with other European clubs."

Chelsea are permitted to request an interim ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which would grant the opportunity to sign players in the summer, an option that has benefited a number of Spanish clubs charged with similar violations in the past.

In 2014, Barcelona's 14-month ban for breaching FIFA's transfer rules was pushed back a year, allowing the club to sign Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, and others during the summer window.

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