Chelsea charged with 74 breaches of agency payment rules

 

The English FA have charged Chelsea with 74 breaches of rules relating to agents, intermediaries and third-party investment in players. The London club has said it expects to receive a financial penalty. 

The charges relate to the period 2009 to 2022 but primarily between 2010 and 2016 – when Roman Abramovich was still the owner. In 2022, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over and self-reported the discrepancies.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, 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.”

Chelsea face charges for breaching rules that forbid clubs from making secret payments or working with unregistered intermediaries. They are also accused of violating regulations that ban agreements giving third parties the power to “materially influence the club’s policies.”

An independent regulatory commission will hear the case.

The club responded: “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’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on 30 May 2022. 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.

“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA.

“The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data.”

In 2023, Chelsea paid UEFA €10 million following voluntary identification of “incomplete financial reporting” during the Abramovich reign.