FA Charges Chelsea Over 74 Alleged Financial Rule Breaches

The Football Association has charged Chelsea with 74 alleged breaches of rules concerning agent payments between 2009 and 2022, with most of the cases linked to the 2010/11 to 2015/16 seasons. The Premier League side has until September 19 to respond.

Chelsea, previously owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich until its 2022 takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, said it had self-reported the matters after the new owners discovered potentially incomplete financial reporting during due diligence checks. The club stressed it has shown “unprecedented transparency” and continues to cooperate with the FA.

This follows a July 2023 settlement with UEFA in which Chelsea paid €10 million for similar historical reporting issues under Abramovich’s ownership.

Abramovich, sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 over his ties to Vladimir Putin, remains at the center of disputes over the frozen £2.5 billion from the club’s sale, with ministers insisting the money be used to support Ukraine.