Chelsea have been handed the largest fine in Premier League history and a suspended transfer ban after admitting to historical financial rule breaches.
The Premier League found that 47,524,925.74 pounds in payments were made between 2011 and 2018 through third-party entities “controlled by or associated with” Abramovich to unlicensed agents and individuals connected to selling clubs.
Chelsea avoided a points deduction but received a one-year transfer ban suspended for two years, a record 10.75 million pound fine as well as an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and a 750,000 pound penalty linked to youth player registration breaches between 2019 and 2022.
According to the league’s sanction agreement, the payments were made with the “knowledge and approval” of former senior officers and directors.
Transfers linked to the payments included deals for Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle and Nemanja Matic, although there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by any of the players.
The transactions were discovered during due diligence when the club was bought in 2022 by a consortium led by Todd Boehly, who self-reported the issues to the Premier League, the The Football Association and UEFA.
The league cited Chelsea’s “proactive self-reporting” and “exceptional co-operation” as major mitigating factors and concluded the payments would not have caused the club to breach profitability and sustainability rules.
Chelsea said they had “voluntarily and proactively disclosed to all applicable regulators potential historical rule breaches, including incomplete financial reporting that took place over a decade ago.”
The club added: “From the outset of this process, the club has treated these matters with the utmost seriousness, providing full cooperation to all relevant regulators.”
Current head coach Liam Rosenior said the club can now move forward.
“I think actually that’s a line drawn through that issue and we can move on and we can plan to make this club as strong as possible in the long term,” he said.
Ahead of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Rosenior added: “It’s not a negative distraction. Actually, that’s a line drawn through that issue and we can move on and plan to make this club as strong as possible in the long-term. That’s the idea from the ownership, myself and everybody involved in the club.”
