Chelsea have been fined £10 million and handed a suspended two-window transfer ban, after admitting to multiple breaches of Football Association rules relating to undisclosed payments made between 2009 and 2022.
The sanctions follow an investigation into 74 self-reported breaches disclosed by the club’s current owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, after acquiring Chelsea in 2022. The club admitted making £47 million in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties during player transfers between 2011 and 2018, all under the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
A regulatory commission initially imposed a six-point deduction, but that sanction was set aside on appeal. Chelsea also received a suspended ban from registering new players for two transfer windows, meaning the punishment will only take effect if the club commits further breaches within the specified period.
The original financial penalty of £26 million was reduced to £17.25 million because of Chelsea’s exceptional cooperation and voluntary disclosure. It was then cut to £11.4 million following an early guilty plea before being reduced to a final £10 million to account for penalties already imposed by UEFA and the Premier League.
The Football Association said the punishment was appropriate to sanction the club, deter similar misconduct and protect the integrity of the game. The £10 million fine will be invested into grassroots football.
The FA added that it is continuing to investigate potential individual misconduct linked to the case. Chelsea, meanwhile, said the conclusion of the FA process brings all regulatory proceedings against the club to an end and thanked the FA, UEFA and the Premier League for their cooperation throughout the investigations.
Oluwagbemisola Babalola
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