Chelsea have been hit with 74 Football Association charges after their current owners self-reported financial issues to the football authorities they uncovered when buying the club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
The charges relate to alleged breaches of the FA’s rules governing agents, and are understood to centre on alleged irregular payments made as part of deals which brought Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian, among others, to Chelsea during the Russian’s tenure. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of those players.
Chelsea could face a sporting sanction, such as a transfer ban or a points deduction, if some or all of the charges are found proven, but the club’s role in proactively bringing the matter to light may mean an independent commission hearing the case would determine a fine is an appropriate penalty.
UEFA agreed a resolution with Chelsea to pay 10 million euros (£8.6m) in July 2023 after the club’s new owners proactively shared information with European football’s governing body which they obtained as part of their due diligence during the 2022 takeover.
Chelsea’s owners also shared the information they had found with the FA and the Premier League at the same time, with the latter understood to be still investigating the matter separately to the FA probe.
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Independent accounting analysts are understood to have told Chelsea that even if the alleged irregular payments had been reported correctly at the appropriate times, the club would have always remained compliant with the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
The club said in a statement issued on Thursday they were ‘pleased to confirm that its engagement with the FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion’.
The statement added: ‘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.’
Abramovich was forced to cede ownership of Chelsea in 2022 after he was sanctioned by the British Government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A spokesperson for Abramovich has been contacted for comment.
The FA has given Chelsea until September 19 to respond to the charges, which span a period between 2009 and 2022 but primarily relate to events which occurred between the 2010-11 to 2015-16 playing seasons.