Chelsea have been banned from signing players in the next two transfer windows by football’s world governing body Fifa.
The west London club have also been fined 600,000 Swiss francs (over £460,000) for breaching rules on the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.
The FA has also been fined 510,000 Swiss francs after being found to have breached the rules in connection with minors, the Fifa statement added.
Fifa Regulation: Article 19 Chelsea were found to have breached Article 19 of the Fifa Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
The ruling states that international transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18.
There are three exceptions to this rule, explained briefly below:
1. The player’s parents move to the country in which the new club is located for reasons not linked to football
2. The transfer takes place within the territory of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) and the player is aged between 16 and 18
3. The player lives no further than 50km from a national border and the club with which the player wishes to be registered in the neighbouring association is also within 50km of that border