Premier League clubs consider joint legal action over Chelsea 'secret payments' ruling: report

Chelsea became the latest club to be sanctioned by the Premier League last week after they were found to have made undisclosed payments to agents.

The Blues were fined £10.75m and handed a suspended transfer ban after they self-reported £47.5m of hidden payments to agents and third parties, which occurred between 2011 and 2018 under former owner Roman Abramovich.

The amount Chelsea were fined was a Premier League record, but rival clubs felt it was too lenient - and fear it could set a precedent for the upcoming verdict on Manchester City's 115 charges for breaching financial fair play rules, which City deny.

Premier League rivals unhappy with Chelsea's 'secret payments' sanction

Chelsea's sanction could be considered lenient when compared to the punishments handed out to Everton and Nottingham Forest, who were deducted eight and four points respectively during the 2023/24 season.

Both cases were a result of the clubs breaching Premier League profit and sustainability regulations (PSR), with the Toffees finishing 15th and Forest 17th that campaign.

According to The Guardian, officials from Everton and Forest have held talks this week about launching a joint legal challenge against the Premier League over the punishment they handed Chelsea.

A major bone of contention for both clubs is said to be the lack of any sporting sanctions against the Stamford Bridge outfit - such as a points deduction - for the undisclosed payments that helped them buy the likes of Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Willian.

Whereas the judgments against Everton and Forest made repeated references to the "sporting advantage" gained from their PSR breaches, there was no mention of that in the Chelsea ruling - despite the club winning two Premier League titles and the Champions League during the period in which the undisclosed payments were made.

As a result, any legal challenge is likely to centre on claims of inconsistency by the Premier League, even though the Blues' breach was not in relation to PSR.

The report states that Everton and Forest are both taking legal advice and have yet to come to a firm decision, but they are likely to write to the league initially to request a formal explanation into the process and reasons behind Chelsea's punishment.

Several clubs have reportedly already contacted Premier League chief executive Richard Masters but Everton are exploring the option of taking it further.

Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital discovered the 36 undisclosed payments during their negotiations to buy the club from Abramovich in 2022 and reported the offences.

The report adds that the Premier League is believed to have justified the Blues' punishment by explaining that it felt it would have been unable to convict the club without their co-operation.