Explained: Chelsea handed 74 historical financial charges by FA

The Football Association (FA) have hit Chelsea with 74 charges relating to financial breaches between 2009 and 2022, when the club was owned by Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich was forced to sell the west London club during a government clampdown on Russian-controlled assets in the UK following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The club was sold for £2.5billion in 2022, to current owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, and it was during the due diligence of that sale that these financial irregularities were discovered and self-reported by the new regime.

Chelsea’s 74 FA charges explained

While combing through historical files in 2022 to complete vital checks ahead of their purchase, the new owners, known as BlueCo, discovered payments linked to transfers – paid to the likes of agents and third parties – that had not been reported as required to the FA, the Premier League and UEFA.

According to Sky Sports News, it’s thought the bulk of the charges relate to events between the 2010/11 and 2015/16 campaigns, with Chelsea’s dealings for the likes of Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian thought to be involved.

As these events occurred before BlueCo arrived, they self-reported their findings to the relevant bodies, and are believed to have withheld £100m from the purchase of the club to account for any potential ramifications.

The Blues have already reached a settlement with UEFA, handing over £8.6m as part of that agreement, with a Premier League investigation into the alleged breaches still ongoing.

Chelsea have until September 19 to respond to the 74 charges handed down by the FA in this instance. The issue could go to court if they choose to fight the charges, but attention will immediately shift to the penalty to be paid should the club accept the charges.

Both sporting and financial sanctions remain a possibility, but some suggest the governing body could be wary of dissuading clubs in the future from admitting to their own potential breaches, and as such may decide against the harshest available punishments.

In a statement on the club’s official website, Chelsea said: “Chelsea FC is pleased to confirm that its engagement with The FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion.

“The Club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the Club’s files and historical data. We will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible. We wish to place on record our gratitude to The FA for their engagement with the Club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago.”

In their own statement outlining the charges, the FA said: “The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches 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.

“In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. The conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons.”