Carlo Ancelotti's side were rocked this week by a FIFA ban on signing any players during the next two transfer windows after luring teenager Gael Kakuta from Lens, a decision they intend to appeal.

Bates successfully won a reported £5million compensation payment from the Blues in 2006 after they signed teenagers Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo from Leeds.

Chelsea are not alone among the Premier League elite in scouring Europe for the brightest young talents but Bates has criticised the methods involved in such a recruitment policy.

Bates, currently Leeds chairman, told the Daily Mail: "The problem here is that the big clubs are stripping the small clubs of their youngsters.

"They are like Japanese fishing trawlers, just sweeping up everything in their nets.

"Right now some of these boys are just being traded like horsemeat."

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French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes, meanwhile, is pleased with the decision to punish Chelsea.

He said: "We had alerted FIFA and the Football Association against such misbehaviour.

"What these clubs are doing is like what I have seen from Qatar in other sports, who sent their sporting directors to Paris to recruit and nationalise young athletes.

"We are perfectly happy to see such misbehaviour being sanctioned."