The Football Association (FA) has charged Chelsea Football Club with 74 alleged breaches of its regulations concerning payments to agents.
The alleged infractions span a 13-year period from 2009 to 2022, with the bulk of them occurring between the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons.
The Premier League side has until September 19 to formally respond to the charges.
The charges come more than three years after Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich sold the London club to a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in May 2022.
The sale followed Abramovich’s sanctioning by the UK government due to alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claims Abramovich has denied.
In a statement released Thursday, Chelsea said the investigation stemmed from irregularities that were self-reported by the club’s current ownership group:
“The club’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on May 30, 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.”
Chelsea added that it was “pleased to confirm that its engagement with the FA concerning matters that were self-reported is now reaching a conclusion,” and emphasized that the club had “demonstrated unprecedented transparency” throughout the process.
This isn’t the first regulatory response tied to Chelsea’s past financial dealings.
In July 2023, the club reached a settlement with UEFA, agreeing to pay a €10 million (£8.6m) fine over “incomplete financial reporting” linked to the Abramovich era.
UEFA confirmed that Chelsea’s new owners had “proactively” disclosed the violations.
Meanwhile, Abramovich continues to face legal disputes in the UK.
In June 2025, the British government threatened to take legal action to seize the £2.5 billion generated from Chelsea’s sale.
Officials aim to allocate the funds toward humanitarian relief in Ukraine, while Abramovich maintains it should benefit all victims of the conflict, including those in Russia.
