I knew this would happen - as soon as Chelsea gets the punishment, all the smaller clubs will be out to get the "big guns"!

In many cases, the so-called "big clubs" do a bit of "poaching talent" or whatever you want to call it. It may be legal, but is it ethical? IMO, unless it's proven illegal, it's pretty unethical - but until the rules are changed (which will be hard to do, considering EU laws on movement of workers), all clubs are going to use any loophole they can get to purchase the players they want.

That's not to say only the English teams do it, some are reporting the movement of youth from Africa and South America to France and Spain to be a form of poaching as well. I can't say much about the legalities of youth contracts in France, Spain, etc. but in England, I think the 90-minute rule has been on of the causes these players are uprooted.

The rule was set by the FA, saying that clubs cannot sign players under a certain age into their academies if they lie within a "90-minute" radius from the club HQ. For instance, Liverpool FC cannot sign a young player from London because they are outside this radius.

What happens with this is that some of the best players in the country are stuck where they are (i.e no "big" clubs can take them until they're of a certain age). And worse, most clubs are stuck with the choices available - think about it. In the North-West of England, you have clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton, Blackburn and Bolton all pulling from the same pool of players.

This causes them to look elsewhere, and rules in France, Spain, etc. that limit youth players contract lengths or don't allow clubs to sign contracts with youth become the victims of the English clubs' plunder. All is apparently legal under UEFA.... but let's see if it continues to stay legal and if FIFA or UEFA will put in a new rule to prevent this from occuring again.