A fan of the ban

06 September 2009 10:23
In the wake of Chelsea's transfer ban, Andy Dunn applauded Fifa for finally giving out a punishment that fits the crime. The football world was stunned on Thursday when Chelsea were banned from registering any new players in the next two transfer windows - which effectively means the club cannot sign anybody until January 2011. The punishment was handed down after French clubs Lens made an official complaint over Chelsea's signing of their young player Gael Kakuta in 2007. Fifa decided that the Premier League side contravened transfer regulations in their pursuit of the young midfielder, a decision which Chelsea plan to appeal against, but Dunn feels football's governing body have finally found a way of punishing clubs more effectively. "One of the biggest indictments wasn't so much the punishment by Fifa, it was the fact that Chelsea didn't see it coming," the News of the World writer said. "They are used to doing this and they must have thought they would get a fine - and they've had a cumulative series of fines for various offences over the last four or five years. "This time Fifa have decided that actually fining clubs - Chelsea and maybe even other Premier League clubs - has no effect. "They've actually come out with a punishment that - for once - actually fits the crime. Assuming that crime is now proven on appeal, it fits the crime of contravening transfer policy and regulations. "What makes it more emotive is the fact that it's a 16-year-old boy. Clubs have transgressed in the past with senior players, but now we're hearing stories about them going over there for 16-year-old boys." Not fairDunn said he did not like the way English clubs went abroad to take the best talent from the academies of foreign clubs without paying a fair price. Unlike in England, youngsters in Spain and France cannot sign professional terms until a certain age - and Dunn feels the inconsistency across Europe leads to problems. He added: "One thing I would say, not so much in the club's defence, is that there's no uniformity. That's one of the problems here. "There's no uniformity and the English clubs can go and take advantage of the fact that young players can't commit themselves contract-wise to clubs abroad in certain countries. That's why Arsenal got Fabregas. "But there's also the idea that they're basically trying to get kids on the cheap - and not adequately compensate the clubs."

Source: SKY_Sports