Chelsea hit with shock transfer banned from FIFA

Chelsea hit with shock transfer banned from FIFA

Chelsea have been banned from registering any new players for the next two transfer windows in a shock move by FIFA after being found guilty of inducing a French teenager to breach his contract with another club. Gael Kakuta (pictured), 18, joined Chelsea from Lens two years ago after which the French club lodged a complaint with FIFA.

Now FIFA's dispute resolution chamber has ruled that Kakuta breached his contract with Lens and that Chelsea induced him to do so. They now cannot make any signings until January 2011, while the player has been fined £682,000 and banned for four months. Chelsea havea right to appeal the decision directly to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

FIFA said in a statement: "The French club had lodged a claim with FIFA seeking compensation for breach of contract from the player and requesting also sporting sanctions to be imposed on the player and the English club for breach of contract and inducement to breach of contract respectively. "The DRC found that the player had indeed breached a contract signed with the French club. Equally, the DRC deemed it to be established that the English club induced the player to such breach.

"As a result the player was condemned to pay compensation in the amount of 780,000 euros (£682,000), for which the club, Chelsea, is jointly and severally liable, and sporting sanctions were imposed on both the player and Chelsea in accordance with art. 17 par. 3 and 4 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

"A restriction of four months on his eligibility to play in official matches is imposed on the player Gael Kakuta while the club Chelsea is banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the two next entire and consecutive registration periods following the notification of the present decision. "Furthermore, Chelsea, has to pay RC Lens training compensation in the amount of 130,000 euros (£114,000)."

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Giancarlo Fisichella joined Ferrari

Giancarlo Fisichella joined Ferrari

Giancarlo Fisichella has been given the green light by Force India to race for Ferrari for the remainder of the season, with immediate effect.

"Following extensive discussions over the past 24 hours, the Force India Formula One Team has agreed to release Giancarlo Fisichella from his contract to join the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team for the remainder of the 2009 season, starting with immediate effect," Force India said in a statment. Force India team boss Vijay Mallya said that he would not have stood in the way of the Italian taking a race seat with Ferrari.

"Giancarlo and his management team approached me yesterday with the proposal from Ferrari," Mallya said. "For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception. No one should stand in the way of this. "Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this, particularly when Giancarlo has made such a vital contribution to Force India."

Amazingly, Mallya said that there had been no financial settlement with Ferrari over the switch of Fisichella, who caused a minor sensation when running Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen close in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix for Force India's first ever championship points. "This agreement has been made in good faith and for the good of Giancarlo and the sport in general," Mallya insisted. "A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari for Monza is a positive story for Formula One, which can only help raise the sport's profile in these difficult times."

Fisichella would now be expected to make his Ferrari debut at the next Formula One Grand Prix at the Italian circuit of Monza on September 13. The 36-year-old replaces Luca Badoer as Kimi Raikkonen's team-mate, after the Italian test driver filled in for two races following Felipe Massa's accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Stand-in Badoer, 38, struggled in his two races as a replacement for Massa. Making a comeback after almost a decade away from grand prix racing, he qualified last in Valencia and Belgium and was also last to take the chequered flag in both races. Force India are yet to announce who will replace Fisichella for them for the remainder of the season.

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