FA confirms big penalties for Chelsea after 74 rule breaks
Chelsea has been fined £10 million by the Football Association (FA) for breaking agent rules over a 13-year period. The club was charged with 74 rule breaches after their current owners reported the issues themselves.
Along with the fine, Chelsea received a registration ban for two full, back-to-back transfer windows. However, this ban is suspended until June 2027, as long as no further offences happen.
The FA also said they originally gave Chelsea a six-point deduction, suspended over the same period, but this was changed after an appeal. The fine will all go toward supporting grassroots football.
These charges relate to the years 2009 to 2022, during Roman Abramovich’s ownership. Chelsea’s current owners, BlueCo, reported some possible past financial irregularities soon after they took over.
Earlier in 2023, UEFA fined Chelsea £8.57 million over financial rule breaches from 2012 to 2019. The Premier League also investigated two transfers from 2013 involving players Willian and Samuel Eto’o, which led to Chelsea paying an unpaid transfer fee and receiving a ban on signing academy players for nine months.
Their biggest punishment came in 2019 when they were found guilty of signing underage players illegally. They were banned from registering new players for two transfer windows in that season, with Mateo Kovacic being their only permanent signing then.
After the FA announced their decision on Friday, Chelsea shared a statement saying they are glad the matter is now resolved. They emphasized that they self-reported the historic issues in 2022 and have cooperated fully with all regulators. They also thanked the FA, UEFA, and the Premier League for their work during the process.
The FA’s report said the penalties could have been stronger but were lessened because Chelsea self-reported the problems, which is very unusual. However, the FA described the previous owners’ behavior as deliberate and serious, involving many seasons of rule-breaking at the highest level.
They also criticized those responsible back then, saying their actions showed a shameful disregard for the game’s rules and harmed both football’s reputation and Chelsea’s name.