Chelsea have been cleared of any wrongdoing over the Gael Kakuta affair and are no longer banned from signing players.
The Blues were hit with an 18-month transfer embargo in September after Fifa ruled that they were guilty of inducing Kakuta, then 16, to break a contract with Lens back in 2007.
Chelsea appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and it was decided that the ban would be suspended, allowing the club to bolster their squad in January.
CAS have now ruled that Chelsea did not break any rules over the signing of Kakuta and the embargo has been lifted entirely.
A statement from CAS read: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued an award today ratifying the agreement reached by Chelsea FC, Racing Club de Lens and the French football player Gaël Kakuta, putting an end to this arbitration procedure which also involved FIFA.
"The CAS has noted that, in the agreement, the two clubs and the player have recognised that the contract between the player and RC Lens was not valid.
"Accordingly, the player could not have terminated it prematurely and without just cause and FC Chelsea cannot therefore be liable for inducing a breach of contract.
"As a consequence, in light of these new circumstances, the sanctions imposed upon Chelsea FC and the player by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber had to be lifted."
The Blues were hit with an 18-month transfer embargo in September after Fifa ruled that they were guilty of inducing Kakuta, then 16, to break a contract with Lens back in 2007.
Chelsea appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and it was decided that the ban would be suspended, allowing the club to bolster their squad in January.
CAS have now ruled that Chelsea did not break any rules over the signing of Kakuta and the embargo has been lifted entirely.
A statement from CAS read: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued an award today ratifying the agreement reached by Chelsea FC, Racing Club de Lens and the French football player Gaël Kakuta, putting an end to this arbitration procedure which also involved FIFA.
"The CAS has noted that, in the agreement, the two clubs and the player have recognised that the contract between the player and RC Lens was not valid.
"Accordingly, the player could not have terminated it prematurely and without just cause and FC Chelsea cannot therefore be liable for inducing a breach of contract.
"As a consequence, in light of these new circumstances, the sanctions imposed upon Chelsea FC and the player by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber had to be lifted."
