Chelsea slapped with transfer bans and record fine following 'secret payments'

General view inside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on April 15, 2023 in London, England.
(Image credit: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images))

Chelsea have been hit with a £10 million fine, after reporting themselves to the Premier League.

The Blues admitted to secretly paying £47m to unregistered agents and third parties between the years of 2011 and 2018, relating to transfers that were made over that period.

The club have been hit with a record fine – and Chelsea have accepted the charges from the Premier League, which occurred under the previous ownership led by Roman Abramovich.

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Chelsea hit with record punishment, following ‘secret payments’

Eden Hazard in action for Chelsea against Tottenham in January 2017.

Eden Hazard's transfer was one such deal related to the unregistered payments (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Premeir League have compiled a report on the illegal payments that Chelsea made over a seven-year period.

Transfers including Eden Hazard, David Luiz, Nemanja Matic and Willian – who all won the league with the Blues – are related to the unregistered payments.

David Luiz

David Luiz won several trophies at Stamford Bridge

The club have also been handed bans in the transfer market, on top of the fines.

Chelsea have been given an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban, preventing them from signing anyone for their famed Cobham academy, on top of a suspended transfer embargo.

The Blues have also been dealt a £750,000 fine over the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.

The report and subsequent punishments could well have an effect on the way that the West Londoners conduct themselves in the transfer market this summer – but how remains to be seen.

Chelsea host Paris Saint-Germain this week in Champions League action, as the Round of 16 concludes.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.

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