Chelsea have been fined £10m and received a suspended ban from registering new players for two transfer windows. This follows the club’s admission of breaches of Football Association agent rules, which occurred between 2009 and 2022.
The club’s current owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, self-reported 74 breaches of FA regulations after acquiring the club in 2022. These breaches involved payments to agents and third parties during the period when Roman Abramovich was the owner of Chelsea.
Initially, an independent commission had imposed a suspended six-point deduction on Chelsea, which was set to last until 30 June 2027. However, this deduction was later set aside on appeal. An appeal board instead replaced the points penalty with the suspended two-window transfer ban.
Details of the Breaches and Penalties
Chelsea admitted to making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties concerning transfers that took place between 2011 and 2018. The FA confirmed the imposition of sanctions on the west London club, which admitted to a total of 74 breaches of regulations covering agents, working with intermediaries, and third-party investment in players.
The £10m fine was not subject to appeal and is designated to be invested into grassroots football. The original fine amount was set to be £26m but was reduced by a third to £17.25m due to the club’s self-reporting and what was described as “exceptional and unprecedented nature” of co-operation. This co-operation was considered a significant mitigating factor by the regulatory commission.
The fine was further reduced by another third to £11.4m for an early guilty plea. It was then brought down to £10m because of fines already imposed on the club by Uefa and the Premier League for related matters. The FA stated that this penalty was appropriate to punish the club, deter similar misconduct, and uphold the integrity of the game.
The transfers that raised potential concerns during the takeover process are believed to include deals for players such as Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o, and Willian. There is no indication of any wrongdoing on the part of these players. Other players mentioned in connection with secret payments include Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, and Nemanja Matic, though the names of four players were redacted in one report.
Club’s Response and Broader Context
In a club statement, Chelsea Football Club expressed satisfaction that a final decision had been reached by the FA’s judicial bodies regarding historical regulatory matters that the club had self-reported. The statement highlighted that in 2022, the club self-reported potential historical rule breaches to all applicable regulators and has since worked openly and transparently, voluntarily disclosing thousands of documents.
The club also noted that settlement agreements had previously been reached with Uefa and the Premier League concerning the same self-reported regulatory issues. With the conclusion of the FA process, all regulatory proceedings against the club have now come to a close. Chelsea expressed gratitude to Uefa, the Premier League, and the FA for their engagement throughout these processes.
The regulatory commission acknowledged that had the club not brought these matters to the attention of the FA, it is unlikely they would have been discovered. The initial points deduction was suspended because the FA did not request one, and the Premier League did not impose one.
Earlier in the year, Chelsea received an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and a £750,000 fine for issues related to the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022. Additionally, Chelsea was fined £8.64m by Uefa in July 2023 due to incomplete financial reporting by the previous owners in 2018 and 2019, where at least six suspect payments to offshore companies linked to transfers were identified.
All the breaches under investigation relate to the period when Roman Abramovich owned Chelsea. Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government in March 2022 over alleged links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he has denied. He was granted a special licence to sell Chelsea following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, under the condition that he would not benefit from the sale.
The £2.5bn in proceeds from the sale have been frozen in a UK bank account since May 2022. Abramovich does not have access to the money, but it legally remains his. In 2023, reports indicated leaked documents revealed a money trail linking Abramovich to two individuals described as “wallets” of Putin, and alleged a secret £26m deal in 2010. Abramovich has previously denied any financial relationship with the Russian leader.
The FA is continuing to investigate individual misconduct arising from this case, while Manchester City’s hearing concerning 115 charges took place towards the end of 2024, with a verdict yet to be announced.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Adam Rutherford is a Senior Football Correspondent at News-UK. He spent his early career filing match reports across the North West. He focuses on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Manchester Metropolitan University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Manchester, he coaches a youth team and watches grassroots football. “Every transfer window hides a dozen real stories.”
