Andreas Christensen's father allegedly received payments from Chelsea. GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea is facing allegations of a further breach of FIFA and Premier League rules by "making illegal payments to the father of Andreas Christensen in order to secure the signature" of the Danish int'l, according to Matt Hughes of the LONDON TIMES. According to documents obtained by Football Leaks, published by Politiken, when Chelsea signed Christensen six years ago, the club also recruited his father, Sten, "as a bogus talent scout" despite the fact that he continued to be employed by Danish club Brondy as its goalkeeping coach. Chelsea declined to comment on the specifics of Christensen’s role or allegations that payments to him "constitute a breach of Premier League rules." Payments or inducements to the families of young players "are prohibited." A Premier League spokesperson said, "Should we receive any substantiated material that indicates that our rules may have been violated, we will of course investigate it -- and we have a history of doing that" (LONDON TIMES, 11/15).
YOUTH TRANSFERS: In London, Dominic Fifield reported FIFA is investigating five EPL clubs over "possible violations of rules" on the signing of players under the age of 18, "with the quintet risking transfer bans" if found guilty by FIFA's disciplinary committee. Chelsea is reportedly one of those clubs, as French investigative website Mediapart reported on Wednesday that FIFA's Integrity & Compliance Unit would "seek to impose a two-year transfer ban to stretch across four windows" and a fine of 500,000 Swiss francs ($497,400). Mediapart is one of the outlets publishing documents obtained by Football Leaks. Chelsea released a short statement on Wednesday saying that it had "fully cooperated with Fifa and provided comprehensive evidence demonstrating its compliance with the applicable Fifa regulations." Sources confirmed that another four EPL clubs are "running the risk of a transfer ban," along with high-profile clubs across Europe. The identities of the other English clubs have not been revealed, though FIFA confirmed in Sept. '17 that Man City's conduct involving youth players "was under review" (GUARDIAN, 11/14).
