Chelsea Football Club has been charged with 74 alleged breaches of Football Association (FA) rules over payments to agents, spanning more than a decade.
Gatekeepers News reports that the FA announced on Thursday that the alleged offences mainly cover the 2010/11 to 2015/16 seasons. The Premier League side has been given until September 19 to formally respond.
The case relates largely to Chelsea’s former ownership under Roman Abramovich, who bought the club in 2003 and sold it in May 2022 to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
In a statement, Chelsea said they were “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 explained that its new ownership uncovered irregularities during the takeover process.
“During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules,” Chelsea said.
“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA.”
Chelsea stressed they had shown “unprecedented transparency” and vowed to continue cooperating with the authorities.
This is not the first time the club has faced sanctions over its past financial dealings. In July 2023, Chelsea agreed a €10 million (£8.6m) settlement with UEFA after admitting to “incomplete financial reporting” under Abramovich’s ownership. European football’s governing body confirmed that the new regime had “proactively” brought the matter to its attention.
Abramovich himself was sanctioned by the UK government in March 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with ministers describing him as part of President Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle”—a claim he has consistently denied.
The fallout from the £2.5 billion sale of Chelsea also remains unresolved. Earlier this year, the British government threatened legal action against Abramovich over the frozen proceeds of the sale. Ministers insist the money should go towards humanitarian aid in Ukraine, while Abramovich argues it should support all victims of the conflict, including those in Russia.
