The Premier League club, now under new ownership, faces allegations from the Abramovich era but insists it has been “unprecedentedly transparent” after self-reporting the issues.
Chelsea Football Club has been charged by the Football Association with 74 separate breaches of financial rules, primarily relating to the club’s dealings with agents and intermediaries during the Roman Abramovich ownership.
The charges, announced by the FA on Monday, cover a period from 2009 to 2022, with the majority concentrated between the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons. They allege breaches of regulations concerning agent conduct, intermediary work, and third-party investment in players.
In a statement, Chelsea confirmed the charges are linked to historical financial reporting issues that were discovered by the current ownership group during the due diligence process prior to their £4.25 billion takeover in May 2022. The club emphasized that it immediately self-reported these potential breaches to the FA and other regulators once the sale was completed.
“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 stated. “We have demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process… and will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible.”
The core of the issue is believed to involve the incorrect reporting of payments made to agents during transfer dealings over a decade ago. While the charges are serious, the club is confident that the breaches did not confer any sporting advantage on the pitch.
According to reports, Chelsea have been engaged in negotiations with the FA in recent months, hoping to reach a substantial financial settlement to avoid a potential points deduction or other sporting sanction. The club has hired a major accountancy firm to help resolve the matter.
The FA has given Chelsea until September 19th to formally respond to the charges.
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