Chelsea fined £10.75m, handed transfer ban for breaching EPL financial rule
Chelsea have been fined £10.75 million and banned from registering academy players for nine months after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations during the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
The Premier League confirmed the sanctions on Monday following an investigation into historic financial dealings linked to the club between 2011 and 2018.
Chelsea self-reported the breaches after the club’s current ownership discovered irregularities in financial records related to undisclosed payments during Abramovich’s tenure.
However, the club avoided a more severe punishment, with no immediate ban on signing first-team players and no points deduction imposed.
Academy registration ban confirmed
According to the Premier League, Chelsea will not be allowed to register academy players for the next nine months as part of the disciplinary action.
The league stated that the investigation uncovered undisclosed payments made by third parties associated with the club to players, agents and other individuals during the period under review.
“As a result of the Premier League’s investigation, it was established that between 2011 and 2018, undisclosed payments by third parties associated with the club were made to players, unregistered agents and other third parties,” the league said in a statement.
“These payments were not disclosed to the football regulatory authorities at the time, including the Premier League.”
The statement added that the payments “were made for the benefit of Chelsea and should have been treated as having been made by the club.”
Suspended transfer sanction
Although a transfer ban on the first-team squad had been considered, the league opted instead to impose a two-year suspended sentence.
This means Chelsea would only face a ban on signing senior players if they commit further breaches within that period.
The Premier League also noted that the club would not have violated its Profitability and Sustainability Rules if the payments had been properly included in its historical financial submissions.
Officials said Chelsea’s proactive self-reporting and cooperation during the investigation played a major role in determining the final sanctions.
Deals during Abramovich era examined
Several transfers completed during Abramovich’s ownership came under scrutiny during the investigation, including deals involving Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian.
Chelsea’s current ownership, led by the BlueCo consortium that took control of the club in 2022, uncovered the irregularities during an internal review of the club’s financial records.
Despite the conclusion of the Premier League probe, Chelsea remain under investigation by The Football Association (FA) over 74 alleged breaches of agent regulations. No timeline has yet been given for the outcome of that inquiry.