Before we consider the rights and wrongs of Chelsea’s punishment by Fifa for alleged breach of contract, let one aspect be made clear: this should not seriously affect the club’s chances of winning either the Barclays Premier League or Champions League titles this season.
If Carlo Ancelotti had thought he needed more signings than the quartet who came this summer - Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge, Scott Turnbull and Nemanja Matic - he would surely have made them already. He could, I suppose, have used the winter window to bring in the odd temporary replacement for players lost to the African Cup of Nations, which starts on January 10, but that is a marginal factor.
Far more significant is the overall strength of Ancelotti’s squad, which looks more than capable of taking one or other of the top prizes, or even both. So let’s have no crocodile tears on behalf of the club that used to be considered, before the Abu Dhabi takeover of Manchester City, the most financially muscular in the world.
The real issue is what they are accused of doing. Fifa and Uefa - and the two organisations are closer together than at any time I can remember because of the long-standing friendship between Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the respective presidents - have pledged to regulate the trade in young players, in the interests of both the players and the clubs who spend time and money in developing their abilities.
The Fifa rulebook states: “It shall be presumed, unless established to the contrary, that any club signing a professional who has terminated his contract without just cause has induced that professional to commit a breach.” If Gael Katuka was induced, it is a serious matter that goes well beyond the relatively trivial offence of ‘’tapping up’’, or sounding out people about whether or not they would fancy a move.
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It is, of course, too early to judge whether the sanction is disproportionate, and an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by Chelsea is likely. Meanwhile, we can only imagine the feelings of Adrian Mutu when he heard the news. The Romanian striker, you may recall, was sacked by Chelsea after testing positive for cocaine, and at present he faces a £15 million bill from the club for compensation. The reason? Breach of contract.