Chelsea Confident Signing Of Bertrand Traoré Will Not Bring FIFA Transfer Embargo

Chelsea is confident it will not face a FIFA transfer embargo over its signing of Burkina Faso int'l Bertrand Traoré, according to Matt Law of the London TELEGRAPH. It has emerged that Traoré played for Chelsea's U18s when aged just 16 in "an apparent breach" of FIFA regulations that prohibit the int'l transfer of a minor (under-18). Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid were hit with transfer embargoes for the next two complete windows after breaking the rules, but Chelsea insists it has "acted in accordance with the regulations." The club argues that it struck an "option agreement" with the FA and the Premier League that allowed Traoré "to play in non-competitive games for the club" before taking over his registration in Jan. '14 after he had turned 18. FIFA "refused to confirm" whether Chelsea was under investigation (TELEGRAPH, 1/26).