Chelsea Faces Massive 74-Count FA Bombshell Over Agent Rule Violations
The Football Association has issued Chelsea with 74 charges for various rule violations concerning agents and third-party ownership in previous transfer activities.
BlueCo, Chelsea's ownership group led by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, voluntarily disclosed these matters to the Premier League while examining Chelsea's financial records before completing their acquisition, identifying several potential issues from the Roman Abramovich ownership period.
Questionable payments, reportedly connected to player acquisitions including Eden Hazard, Willian and Samuel Eto'o, raised red flags for Chelsea's new ownership and prompted them to encourage an FA investigation, with the final results now made public.
"The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of Regulations J1 and C2 of The FA Football Agents Regulations, Regulations A2 and A3 of The FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries, and Regulations A1 and B3 of The FA Third Party Investment in Players Regulations," an official statement declared.
"In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. The conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events which occurred between the 2010–11 to 2015–16 playing seasons.
"Chelsea FC has until 19 September 2025 to respond."
"Chelsea FC is pleased to confirm that its engagement with The FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion," Chelsea responded in their statement.
"The Club's ownership group completed its purchase of the club on 30 May 2022. 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.
"The Club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the Club's files and historical data. We will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible. We wish to place on record our gratitude to The FA for their engagement with the Club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago."
Chelsea representatives have been in discussions regarding a settlement with the Premier League, similar to their agreement with UEFA over comparable issues in 2023. According to The Guardian, there has been sustained confidence that any penalties would be monetary rather than involving point deductions or transfer restrictions.
Although these charges would typically result in harsh penalties, Chelsea's defense centers on the fact that they not only relate to former ownership but would never have surfaced if the Blues hadn't voluntarily reported themselves to the Premier League.
Competing clubs are reportedly "understanding" of the circumstances, recognizing that BlueCo bears no responsibility for historical problems.