FIFA Bans Chelsea From Buying Players Until 2011

It’s funny how karma works.  Chelsea took an inhumanely stern line with Adrian Mutu, and now FIFA has taken a stern line with them.

The Blues have been found guilty of “inducing” French midfielder Gael Kakuta to break his contract with Lens in 2007.  FIFA has forbid them to participate in the next two transfer windows, barring them from signing a player until 2011.

Chelsea was also fined €130,000.  Kakuta has been fined €780,000 and banned for the next four months.

Kakuta is the brightest star in Chelsea’s academy.  He’s an attacking left-winger, who was the youth team’s top scorer and academy player of the year.  He was named in Chelsea’s Champions League squad before the ruling.

Chelsea have been found guilty of malfeasance in the transfer market before.  The Premier League fined Chelsea £300,000, Jose Mourinho £200,000 and Ashley Cole £100,000 in the tapping up scandal of 2005.

The Blues have ten days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.  It’s probably a safe bet they will do so.

Is the penalty too harsh?  Can Chelsea compete for the Champions League, or even the Premier League without bringing in fresh talent?