"Chelsea" fined 10 million pounds and given a suspended two-window transfer ban after admitting breaches of the Football Association's rules regarding agents (FA). This is reported by Sky Sports, writes UNN.
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Earlier, an independent commission imposed a conditional six-point deduction on the club, but this decision was overturned and replaced with a suspended transfer ban.
The FA confirmed on Friday the imposition of sanctions against the London club, which admitted a total of 74 breaches of the association's rules concerning dealings with agents, intermediaries, and third-party player financing.
The club's new owners themselves reported the violations to football authorities in May 2022, while they were in the process of purchasing Chelsea from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
It is believed that among the transfers that raised questions during the ownership change process were deals for players such as Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o, and Willian. There are no allegations of wrongdoing against the players themselves.
A six-point deduction, suspended until June 30, 2027, was imposed by the independent commission that initially heard the case, but the club appealed. The appeal board replaced this punishment with a suspended two-window transfer ban.
The fine of 10 million pounds imposed by the regulatory commission was not subject to appeal. The entire amount will be directed towards the development of grassroots football.
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Earlier, Chelsea had already reached settlement agreements in this case with the Premier League and UEFA.
"Chelsea Football Club is pleased to confirm that the FA's judicial bodies have reached a final decision regarding historical regulatory matters that the club self-reported,"
In 2022, the club itself approached all relevant regulators regarding possible historical breaches of rules. Subsequently, it cooperated openly and transparently with all bodies, including voluntarily and proactively handing over thousands of documents.
As previously reported, settlement agreements were reached with UEFA and the Premier League concerning the same issues that have already been addressed. The club is pleased to confirm that following the conclusion of the process with the FA, all regulatory proceedings concerning the club are concluded.
"We are grateful to UEFA, the Premier League, and the FA for their cooperation throughout the process."
Earlier this year, Chelsea received the largest fine in Premier League history along with a one-year transfer ban, deferred for two years. The total fine of 10.75 million pounds related to concealed payments to agents totaling 47.5 million pounds between 2011 and 2018, when the club was owned by Roman Abramovich, as well as breaches of rules regarding the registration of young players.
Initially, the total fine was to be 20 million pounds, but it was halved because Chelsea self-reported the violations and cooperated with the investigation.
The Premier League report mentioned several transfers linked to concealed payments, including the moves of Hazard, Eto'o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, and Nemanja Matic. The names of four players in the document were redacted.
Clubs must provide accurate financial information to the FA and Premier League each year. The same applies to UEFA and teams participating in its competitions.
In July 2023, UEFA fined Chelsea 8.64 million pounds for incomplete financial reporting by previous owners in 2018 and 2019. At least six suspicious payments to offshore companies related to transfers were identified.
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