Chelsea Football Club has been hit with 74 charges by the Football Association over alleged breaches of rules involving payments to agents, covering a period from 2009 to 2022.
The bulk of the charges centre on activities that took place between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons, a time when Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire, was still at the helm of the club.
Abramovich owned Chelsea from 2003 until 2022, when he was forced to sell the club to a consortium fronted by American investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
According to the FA, the allegations involve payments linked to agents, intermediaries, and third-party investment arrangements in player transfers.
Chelsea, however, revealed that they had flagged the possible breaches to the authorities themselves and have until 19 September to submit their response.
The range of punishments available to the FA includes fines, transfer restrictions, and even points deductions, though the club’s willingness to cooperate extensively is expected to weigh in their favour.
“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,” Chelsea stated.
“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.”
This is not the first time the club has faced penalties over its financial dealings. In July 2023, UEFA fined Chelsea £8.6m for breaching Financial Fair Play rules after it was found that “incomplete financial information” had been submitted between 2012 and 2019.
Like the FA matter, those breaches were uncovered and reported by the new ownership after the change of control in 2022.
Investigations are also ongoing at Premier League level, with transactions involving Samuel Eto’o and Willian, both signed from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013 under Abramovich, under scrutiny.
Abramovich after Chelsea
Since his exit from Stamford Bridge, Abramovich has largely remained out of public view.
He was sanctioned by the UK Government in March 2022 due to alleged ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, an accusation he has consistently denied.
He was, however, granted a special licence to proceed with Chelsea’s sale after the invasion of Ukraine, on the condition that he would not personally benefit from the transaction.
Abramovich pledged that proceeds from the sale would be channelled to a foundation “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine,” including those in Russia.
Although the £2.5bn raised from the sale remains frozen in a UK bank account and legally belongs to Abramovich, he cannot access it.
In 2023, leaked documents published by the BBC linked him to two men labelled as “wallets” of Putin, suggesting he had ties to a secret £26m deal dating back to 2010. Abramovich has rejected claims of financial links to the Russian leader.
Earlier this year, the UK Government threatened legal action to ensure the Chelsea sale proceeds are directed exclusively to Ukrainian humanitarian aid, not to “all victims of the war in Ukraine” as Abramovich originally suggested.
In another twist, reports emerged in March 2022 that Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning while attending peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Belarus.
The oligarch, who built his fortune in oil and gas, was said to have acted as a go-between in negotiations.