LONDON, Sept 12 — Chelsea were charged by the Football Association on Thursday with 74 alleged breaches of rules related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022.
The FA said the charges primarily relate to the period between the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons. The Premier League club has until Sept 19 to respond.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich transformed Chelsea’s fortunes after buying the west London club in 2003.
He sold the Blues in May 2022 to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital.
Chelsea issued a statement saying the club 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’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on May 30, 2022,” the statement said.
“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.”
Chelsea said they had “demonstrated unprecedented transparency” and would continue working with the FA.
In July 2023, Chelsea agreed a resolution with European football’s governing body to hand over €10 million (RM49 million) after owning up to “incomplete financial reporting” under the Abramovich regime.
UEFA said it had been “proactively” approached with the information by Chelsea’s new ownership group.
Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He was described by ministers as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle but has denied financial ties to the Kremlin.
In June this year the British government threatened the former Chelsea owner with legal action over the frozen £2.5 billion (RM14.3 billion) generated from the sale of the club.
Ministers want the funds to be directed towards humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, but the oligarch insists they be used for all victims of the conflict, including in Russia. — AFP