Almost as soon as the news came through, we heard that familiar thwack; it was the race card on the table. But this is no conspiracy against the English. Even through the haze of paranoia it could be seen that exactly the punishment delivered to Chelsea by Fifa yesterday in the Gaël Kakuta case had been given to Sion, the Swiss club, five months earlier for the manner in which they lured Essam El Hadary, the Egypt goalkeeper, from Al Ahly.
That other transfers involving English clubs are being investigated should be no surprise. Few clubs have as much money to throw about as the leading members of the Barclays Premier League and it is predictable that less financially muscular institutions in other countries should feel vulnerable and, when deprived of what they understandably view as the fruits of their labours - a potent young footballer or a large sum of money - outraged enough to complain to the world governing body.
Nor are the complaints confined to foreigners. Only last week Ken Bates, chairman of Leeds United, expressed disapproval of aspects of Chelsea's (and other clubs') recruitment policy. He was talking in Monte Carlo before the Super Cup match; a reminder that the mighty can suffer from the turning of a youngster's head, for Cesc Fàbregas was taken from Barcelona to Arsenal at 15. Chelsea are not alone in the end they pursued; it was the means that irked Fifa.
The determination to make contracts mean something, especially in relation to young players and the clubs who spend time and money developing them, is now clear and that can only be helpful, especially if it is followed by a new formula guaranteeing a player's original club suitable compensation for having educated him. This could be an important factor in creating a more level playing field across the game, as Uefa says it wants to do.
Michel Platini, president of Uefa, has a parallel aspiration to encourage players to grow in their own countries and Fifa stands almost four-square with him; the game's two most powerful organisations are closer than at any time I can remember because of the longstanding friendship between Platini and Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president. And so strongly does Blatter proclaim his views that he told the Fifa Congress this summer: “It is time to stop the slavery of these young players.”
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While “slavery” may be an inappropriate word in the context of Kakuta, a player held so responsible for the perceived unfairness to his original club, Lens, that he, too, has been punished, the emotion stirred among the game's hierarchy by predatory agents and scouts is undeniable.
When Platini, who was brought up not too far from the coalfields of Lens and strayed only to Nancy to reveal a talent that was to bring three consecutive awards as European Footballer of the Year, became Uefa president in January 2007, he took a few months to survey the scene before announcing that he had decided upon two clear priorities. One was the “financial fair play” that, he confirmed last week, would be introduced to European competition in time for the 2012-13 season. The other was “the protection of young players”.
Accordingly, Uefa wants to introduce a rule preventing the international transfer of players under 18 (Kakuta came to Chelsea at 15). The principle has been agreed by national associations, leagues and representatives of clubs and players and, while there is a humanitarian aspect to their proposal - for every teenage player who ends up as Chelsea's academy pupil of the year, quite a few find themselves at a loose end far from home - the interests of clubs are also in mind. Quite rightly, for, without the efforts of countless obscure club coaches across Europe and the world, the game would be poorer and its positive role in society reduced. Platini knows; his father, Aldo, is one of those men.
Whether Chelsea have cheated Kakuta's teachers, Lens, remains to be proved, but indications are that Fifa thinks that the offence goes far beyond “tapping up”, or suggesting to a young man that he could obtain more lucrative employment in England than France.
We think back to other young men who have landed in England: Nicolas Anelka, for whom Arsenal paid Paris Saint-Germain £500,000 (and received £23million from Real Madrid); Fàbregas (goodness knows the profit Arsène Wenger could make on him); and Federico Macheda, the Manchester United striker who, at 17, came on as a substitute to score the winner against Aston Villa at Old Trafford towards the end of last season.
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Macheda, a Roman, came through the Lazio ranks but could move to Manchester, where his father has been given a job, at 16, because Italian clubs are not allowed to tie players to contracts until they are 18. The Lazio president, Claudio Lotito, complained that the system was unfair and he will not be alone in applauding any effort by the international governing bodies to ensure more fairness, or at least order. So ignore the spin. Mistrust the paranoia. This is the game trying to put something right.