The Chelsea decision.

Well this is a little off base but I thought I would put my two pence in. I am sure there alot of Chelsea fans that feel victimised, but I am all for this ruling. It is well time that Clubs were held accountable for their flagrant abuse of the rules.

So what is it all about? Chelsea were found guilty of enticing a player, Gael Kakuta, to break his contract with his club, Lens, back in 2007. The player has been fined £682,000 of which Chelsea are also liable for and banned for four months. Chelsea have also been banned from any transfer dealing in the next two transfer windows. They have also been fined £114,000.

On Sky Sports News there have been many claims that this was tapping up and that it happens all the time. There are also alot of fans who think that Chelsea are being targeted, there was also a claim that this is unprecedented. Well this is not unprecedented. FC Sion have had the same judgement against them for enticing goalkeeper Essam El Hadary in 2008 before his deal with Al-Ahly had expired. Interestingly this has been appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and a ruling will be given later this year. Chelsea should be in a better position to know their fate after that ruling is made.

I don't know the full details of what happened and what the nature of breach of contract was. Facts are facts though and that Chelsea had approached the player before he was 16. Kakuta had been contracted to Lens since he was eight years old. This had amounted to a serious investment in the player. Lens are obvioulsy not happy as I am sure a large amount of their business model will include the ability to train and nuture young players to promote to their first team or selling to other clubs. There is also a moral issue as his club are unable to protect the player from the advances of richer clubs.

Seb Blatter and Michel Platini have given their concerns recently to what amounts to trading of minors. Now I am sure the player had been happy to make the move but what sort of advice was given to him by his legal representatives, his club and his family. I think though that the morality of whether clubs are able to approach youngsters is a little off base.

If we are able to look at the tapping up issue in isolation, then Chelsea have a degree of culpbility as do many clubs. Chelsea have not exactly been the most Scrupulous of clubs in the past. I can vaugely remember their very public pursuit of Didier Drogba a few years ago and their approach to Frank Arnesen. But of course Chelsea aren't the only guilty party by playing out this process in the media. There was the Manchester City pursuit of Lescott, Real Madrid's chase for Ronaldo, Barcelona trying to grab Fabregas, Manchester United's attempts to get Berbatov and recently Tottenham's pursuit of Downing and to a lesser extent Defoe and Crouch.

The ruling bodies must define the rules and enforce them. There is no longer the sanctity of contract as they only stand until a better offer comes along. Club chairmen are no saints as they seem to sack managers these days for virtually no reason. All these things involved in the administartion of the game only help to devalue this great game we love.