The English governing body for football has presented Chelsea with 74 accusations pertaining to monetary rule violations spanning from 2009 to 2022, a period when the club was under the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
Abramovich was compelled to relinquish control of the west London establishment amidst governmental measures targeting Russian-controlled assets within the United Kingdom, prompted by Vladimir Putin’s incursion into Ukraine.
The club’s ownership was transferred for £2.5billion in 2022, to the current proprietors, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. It was during the extensive examination period of this transaction that these financial anomalies were brought to light and voluntarily disclosed by the new administration.
An Explanation of Chelsea’s 74 Charges from the FA
During a comprehensive investigation of past documentation in 2022 to finalize crucial verifications before their acquisition, the new management, identified as BlueCo, detected disbursements associated with player transfers—directed toward entities such as agents and external parties—that had not been duly communicated to the FA, the Premier League, and UEFA as mandated.
According to Sky Sports News, it is understood that the majority of the accusations pertain to occurrences between the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons, potentially involving Chelsea’s agreements concerning figures like Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o, and Willian.
Given that these events predated BlueCo’s involvement, they proactively reported their discoveries to the relevant regulatory bodies and are thought to have retained £100 million from the club’s acquisition to accommodate any potential consequences.
The Blues have already finalized an agreement with UEFA, remitting £8.6 million as part of that accord, while a Premier League inquiry into the purported infractions is still in progress.
Chelsea is required to respond by September 19 to the 74 charges delivered by the FA in this matter. Should they elect to contest the allegations, the issue may proceed to court. However, immediate focus will shift to the penalty to be imposed should the club accept the charges.
The possibilities of both athletic and monetary punishments are present. However, it has been suggested that the governing organization may be reluctant to dissuade clubs in the future from owning up to their own possible infractions and, consequently, might opt against enforcing the harshest available penalties.
In a declaration on the club’s authorized online portal, Chelsea stated: “Chelsea FC is pleased to affirm that its discourse with The FA concerning issues that were voluntarily disclosed by the club is now nearing its conclusion.
“The Club has exhibited remarkable openness during this procedure, notably by enabling extensive access to the Club’s records and past data. We intend to proceed with collaborative efforts with The FA to resolve this matter as promptly as feasible. We would like to formally express our appreciation to The FA for their collaboration with the Club on this intricate case, primarily focusing on occurrences that transpired over a decade prior.”
In their own communication specifying the accusations, the FA communicated: “The Football Association has today filed charges against Chelsea FC for infringement 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.
“Collectively, 74 charges have been levied against Chelsea FC. The behavior that constitutes the subject of the charges encompasses the period from 2009 to 2022 and predominantly relates to incidents that materialized between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons.”
