Chelsea Football Club has been fined £10.75 million ($14.27 million) and received a one-year suspended transfer ban following historical breaches of Premier League rules, the league confirmed on Monday. The sanctions relate to undisclosed payments made under former owner Roman Abramovich between 2011 and 2018.
The Premier League investigation found that third-party payments totaling £47,524,925.74 were made to players, unregistered agents, and other individuals linked to clubs, facilitating transfers for stars including Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, and Nemanja Matic. These payments, according to the league, were made with the knowledge of senior Chelsea officials but were not properly disclosed at the time.
Despite the breaches, Chelsea avoided a points deduction due to their self-reporting, full cooperation, and transparency following the takeover by the Todd Boehly-led consortium in 2022. The Premier League noted that even if the payments had been disclosed historically, the club would not have breached the profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
Of the total payments, over £23 million went to seven unregistered agents or related entities, while more than £19 million facilitated the transfers of Willian and Eto’o from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013.
Chelsea also faces 74 alleged breaches of Football Association rules, stemming from the same disclosures. Club officials expect the FA sanctions to be financial rather than sporting due to the level of cooperation demonstrated.
In response to the ruling, Chelsea released a statement:
“Chelsea Football Club is pleased to confirm that the club has reached a settlement with the Premier League in relation to historical regulatory matters that were self-reported by the club in 2022. We welcome the Premier League’s recognition of our exceptional co-operation.”
Manager Liam Rosenior downplayed the impact of the sanctions on the team, saying they were not a “negative distraction” and that the club could now focus on future planning ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
The ruling marks the conclusion of a long-running investigation into Chelsea’s financial conduct during Abramovich’s ownership, allowing the club to move forward under its new American-led leadership while addressing regulatory compliance and transparency.
