Wonderkid Billy Gilmour was ‘controlled by Chelsea in illegal third party agreements while at Rangers’
CHELSEA starlet Billy Gilmour was caught up in the club’s two window transfer ban - before he had played a game for the Blues.
Scottish youngster Gilmour starred for the Blues in the Carabao Cup defeat by Manchester United on Wednesday.
Yet it has now emerged he was one of two players who Fifa decided were effectively controlled by Chelsea in illegal third party agreements while still at other clubs.
The Blues are still awaiting a date for their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport where they hope to get the green light to spend again in January.
But now Fifa have released the full findings of Chelsea’s failed appeal against the two window ban imposed in February.
The findings show that Fifa simply dismissed many of the club’s arguments by pointing to the sheer number of youth games played by some of the players.
But they also detail the investigation into Gilmour’s relationship with Chelsea while he was on Rangers’ books.
Gilmour officially joined Chelsea in August 2017 for £550,000.
But in May of that year the two clubs signed an agreement that the Ibrox outfit could not sell or loan Gilmour to any other club without Chelsea’s consent and that he should also be released to train with Chelsea and play in friendly matches at any time they wanted him.
Rangers were fined £7,800, with Dutch club Ajax fined the same amount for entering a similar arrangement with Chelsea over Juan Carlos Familia Castillo, now back in Amsterdam on loan.
But both cases were included as part of the findings that led to Chelsea’s appeal against the transfer ban being dismissed.
Fifa’s appeals committee, headed by former Swedish Justice Minister Thomas Bodstrom, upheld a total of 150 alleged breaches involving 71 minors.
Those included Burkina Faso midfielder Bertrand Traore - who moved to London from his homeland and was sent to the £20,000-per-year Whitgift School in Croydon - played for the club for three years before being registered in 2014.
Another unnamed player played 75 games for the club between 2013 and 2016, despite only being registered as a trialist over three six-week periods and a third played 55 matches.
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Chelsea claimed these matches were not “organised” because they were training matches which did not necessarily follow the Laws of the game and argued Fifa had taken an “unprecedented and unsustainable step” by punishing them over.
But the Fifa panel ruled: “The Committee has no doubt the matches referred to were organized under the auspices of The FA.
“The players moved to England, joined Chelsea FC and played organised football without being registered. This type of conduct cannot be tolerated.”