FIFA said on Wednesday that they have upheld Chelsea's one-year transfer ban but the English Premier League club will be able to register youth players during the period following an appeal. Chelsea were fined 600,000 Swiss francs ($589,970) and sanctioned in February in relation to 29 cases where regulations relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18 were breached. "The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to partially uphold the appeal lodged by Chelsea FC against the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to sanction the club with a ban on registering new players at both national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods," FIFA said in a statement. "This ban applied to the club as a whole — with the exception of the women's and futsal teams — and did not prevent the release of players." But FIFA's Appeal Committee decided the club can still sign players under the age of 16 as they concluded imposing a ban on registering each and every minor "would not be proportionate to the offence committed". In a statement, Chelsea said they are "very disappointed" with FIFA's decision and will take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "Chelsea FC categorically refutes the findings of the FIFA Appeal Committee. It acted in accordance with the relevant regulations and will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport," the club added. Manager Maurizio Sarri said the ban could give him an opportunity to play a number of youth prospects who are out on loan this season. "Every month I have a report on every player on loan, we have about 45," Sarri told reporters. "There are two or three players who have been out on loan this season who are 'interesting. I do not want to name names now. But the level they have been playing at must be considered." Chelsea's Kante out of Europa League semi Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante will miss the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday and faces a further two weeks out with a hamstring problem, manager Maurizio Sarri said on Wednesday. France international Kante left the field early in the first half of last Sunday's 3-0 Premier League win over Watford and Sarri said after the game that the decision not to rest the World Cup winner was a mistake. Chelsea, who drew the first leg at Frankfurt 1-1, are hopeful the 28-year-old can feature if they reach the final of Europe's second-tier club competition on May 29. "He had a problem with his hamstring, not very serious but he needs to rest for a couple of weeks," Sarri told reporters. "We can try to recover him for only the final if we get there. I'm not sure if he can, but we can try." Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who could fill in for Kante again, said Chelsea will not take their foot off the gas despite sealing a top-four league finish and Champions League qualification. "We won't be relaxed tomorrow, we have the Champions League qualification but we have the chance to win a trophy and that will be stupid to go into the match in a relaxed manner," Loftus-Cheek said. Sarri echoed the views of the England international but warned his players of the danger posed by the German side. "I think we have reached the target of the club, so we're very happy. We have to play in another competition. We have to reach the final and try to win," the Italian added. "It's not easy because we have to play a dangerous team as we saw in the first leg. They're dynamic and aggressive and when they can find spaces, it's a dangerous match. "You have to play a semifinal against a strong team and it's difficult to be favorite. I'm sure tomorrow they can play at their best... we need to be careful." — Reuters
