Chelsea are instead expecting to receive a financial sanction akin to their Uefa settlement
Chelsea do not expect to be slapped with sporting sanctions due to the “self-reporting” nature of the caseopen image in gallery
Chelsea do not expect to be slapped with sporting sanctions due to the “self-reporting” nature of the case (PA Wire)
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Chelsea are expecting to receive a financial sanction in line with their Uefa settlement after their owners self-reported historical financial issues which led to the FA charging the club with 74 alleged breaches.
The club do not see a sporting sanction, such as a points deduction or transfer embargo, as likely due to their level of co-operation with the FA, The Independent understands.
Chelsea’s current ownership, which includes Todd Boehly, uncovered incomplete financial information as part of the due diligence they conducted ahead of purchasing the club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2022. They immediately passed this information on to the relevant governing bodies following the completion of their takeover, including the FA.
It’s understood that Chelsea feel that the “unprecedented” self-reporting nature of the case indicates the need for a precedent to be set by the FA which would spare the club of any sporting sanction. This would therefore incentivise other clubs to self-report any of their own irregularities.
Chelsea agreed a resolution with Uefa in July 2023 and were fined €10m (£8.57m) after owning up to the breaches under Abramovich’s regime.
Chelsea self-reported financial irregularities from the Roman Abramovich era to the FA and Uefaopen image in gallery
Chelsea self-reported financial irregularities from the Roman Abramovich era to the FA and Uefa (AP)
The breaches are understood to centre on alleged irregular payments made as part of deals which brought Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian, among others, to Chelsea between 2009 to 2022, primarily relating to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 seasons.
The club believe their co-operation was reflected in their statement on Thursday which said they are “pleased to confirm that its engagement with the FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion”.
The statement added: “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.”
Abramovich was forced to sell the club following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which saw sanctions imposed on the oligarch by the British government.
The FA said the Blues have until September 19 to respond to the charges.