Chelsea will fight Fifa transfer ban

Chelsea Football Club have reacted to the one-year transfer ban imposed by Fifa.

The Premier League club confirmed that they will fight the ban which prevents them from signing and registering new players in the next two transfer windows.

Their statement said: "Chelsea will mount the strongest appeal possible following the decision of Fifa's Dispute Resolution Chamber over Gaël Kakuta.

"The sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offence and the financial penalty imposed.

"We cannot comment further until we receive the full written rationale for this extraordinarily arbitrary decision."

The sanction was announced this afternoon after Fifa’s dispute resolution chamber (DSC) ruled that France teenager Gaël Kakuta had breached his contract with Lens and been induced to do so by Chelsea.

The ban could have particular significance for Chelsea as the squad is regarded among the older and more experienced of those in the Premier League’s ‘big four’.

At present, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou are the only frontline senior strikers, while midfielders Frank Lampard, Deco and Michael Ballack are all in their 30s.

Chelsea were relatively cautious in the transfer window, signing Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull, suggesting that they were unaware of the potential severity of Fifa's punishment.