Chelsea have been hit with 74 charges for allegedly breaking rules surrounding the payment of agents for transfers and third-party ownership by the Football Association
Chelsea could face a 10-point deduction if found guilty of the 74 charges they are accused of by the Football Association, if Luton Town’s prior punishment is the precedent. The Premier League giants were accused of breaking rules around transfers regarding the payment of agents and third-party ownership of players.
In a statement, the FA said: “The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of Regulations J1 and C2 of The FA Football Agents Regulations, Regulations A2 and A3 of The FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries, and Regulations A1 and B3 of The FA Third Party Investment in Players Regulations.
“In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. The conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons. Chelsea FC has until 19 September 2025 to respond.”
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The charges relate to Roman Abramovich’s time as owner of the west London side before the Russian oligarch was forced to sell the club in May 2022 after being sanctioned by the UK government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The billionaire sold the club to a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly, who self-reported some payments from his predecessor’s era. Despite their admission, Chelsea could still be issued a fine, a points deduction or a transfer ban if it’s discovered that the specific payments were not included as part of the Blues’ original annual financial reporting.
It was in 2008 that Luton Town were deducted 10 points for breaching Football Association rules on payments to agents in past transfer deals. Given the similarities in the accusations levied at Chelsea, there may be a reality where they are handed an identical punishment.
Chelsea could also be hit with a smaller or larger deduction depending on how the investigation pans out. With just three games having been played so far this season, Chelsea are one of three unbeaten teams and currently sit second with seven points from two wins and one draw.
However, a 10-point deduction would see Enzo Maresca’s side slide to the bottom of the table on -3. Regarding their prior self-reporting of financial matters, Chelsea issued a statement that read: “Chelsea FC is pleased to confirm that its engagement with The FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion.
“The club’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on 30 May 2022. During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules.
“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including The FA. The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data.
“We will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible. We wish to place on record our gratitude to The FA for their engagement with the club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago.”
The Blues return to action on Saturday following the international break, where they’ll travel to the Gtech Community Stadium to take on west London rivals Brentford.
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