Chelsea punishment `draconian' - Taylor

04 September 2009 16:43
Players' chief Gordon Taylor believes the punishment meted out to Chelsea over the Gael Kakuta affair is "draconian" but accepts steps have to be taken to prevent the richest clubs buying up the best young talent.[LNB]The Stamford Bridge club were banned from registering any new players for the next two transfer windows after FIFA found them guilty of inducing the French teenager to breach his contract with Lens two years ago.[LNB]The player, now 18, and the club were also ordered to pay compensation and Kakuta was suspended from playing for four months.[LNB]Chelsea have insisted they will launch the "the strongest appeal possible" and Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, said the punishment was probably issued as a warning to other clubs.[LNB]"It does seem quite draconian and if they (FIFA) do that they must have felt some justification," he told Press Association Sport.[LNB]"I know FIFA and many people in the world are worried that the biggest clubs will automatically gather the very best players. The worry is, if they have the best youngsters, are they going to get as good an opportunity there as somewhere else?"

Source: Eurosport