Chelsea left 'astonished' after FIFA DENY request to freeze one-year transfer ban as club continues to challenge punishment

FIFA have denied Chelsea's request against their transfer ban but the club continue to fight

• Chelsea have had their appeal on a one-year transfer fan denied by FIFA
• The Premier League club were handed a two-window ban by the governing body
• The Stamford Bridge side were found guilty by FIFA of breaching rules overseas
• Reacting to the news, Chelsea say they have been left 'astonished' by FIFA

FIFA says its appeals committee has denied a request from Chelsea to freeze a one-year transfer ban as the club continues to challenge the punishment.

Chelsea could now ask the Court of Arbitration for Sport to grant an interim ruling, which would allow players to be signed in the summer.

Fifa said that the club had breached rules over the acquisition of 29 players under the age of 18. The punishment also came with a £456,000 fine. 

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Chelsea were left 'astonished' and reacted to the news in an official statement following the verdict. 

It read: 'Chelsea Football Club is astonished by the FIFA Appeal Committee's decision not to suspend its sanction pending completion of the appeal process.

'The club acted in accordance with the relevant regulations and has already notified FIFA of its intention to appeal against the Disciplinary Committee's decision and sanction. 

'As a matter of procedural fairness and equality of treatment, and Swiss law, the club's right to an appeal process must be afforded, before any irremediable sanction takes effect.

Chelsea were insistent they would challenge the ban but will be down after losing an appeal

'So far as the club is aware, in all previous cases where a registration ban has been imposed by FIFA, a decision has also been made to suspend the sanction until the appeal process has been completed. In this case, Chelsea considers that it is being treated inconsistently in comparison with other European clubs.

'We will consider our next steps once we have received the written reasons for this decision from FIFA. The club notes the Appeal Committee's statement that it has the right to appeal to CAS. In the meantime the club will continue to fully cooperate with the proceedings.'

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Chelsea was banned from registering new players through January 2020 for breaking rules designed to protect teenage players. The club denies any wrongdoing.  

In previous similar cases involving top Spanish clubs, FIFA granted provisional measures which meant transfer bans were not enforced during the appeal process.

An investigation into Chelsea began after they signed Bertrand Traore before he turned 18

The FIFA appeal panel chairman, Thomas Bodstrom, joined football's governing body after those Spanish cases were decided. 

The signing of Bertrand Traore in 2014 sparked the investigation into their business. This took place over three years, from 2015. They are thought to have signed Traore before his 18th birthday, and have provided misleading information as to when he was signed.

Chelsea paid his mother £155,000 in 2011 to take a first refusal option on him and then £13,000 to the club chaired by his mother, AJE Bobo-Dioulasso.

Traore was sold to French side Lyon in June 2017 for £8.8million, having played a total of 16 games for Chelsea.