Chelsea are awaiting the verdict of their FA disciplinary hearing regarding the 74 charges levelled against the club, which include issues related to agents, intermediaries and third-party investment under Roman Abramovich's ownership. The Blues voluntarily reported the situation to the governing body in order to cooperate with the investigation. These issues came to light during the 2022 takeover of the club by BlueCo, when Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali joined forces to complete the purchase.
The alleged offences reportedly involve undisclosed payments to agents and the use of unregistered intermediaries for transfers. As per The Times, the FA's disciplinary hearing is set to conclude this week, which should bring a resolution to the charges against the club. If found guilty, Chelsea could face sporting sanctions, including a potential points deduction.
However, it is understood that Chelsea would contest any such sanction and are currently anticipating a fine. Neither former owner Abramovich nor former sporting director Marina Granovskaia are currently involved in football, so they fall outside the FA's jurisdiction.
The Blues confirmed back in September that they would be collaborating closely with The FA to ensure all necessary facts for the investigation were gathered. The club statement reads: "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.
"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."
The Boehly-Eghbali era has seen a significant transformation over nearly four years, with a revamped Chelsea emerging post-takeover. The Blues were once notorious for their cutthroat approach to hiring and firing managers, while transfers centred on acquiring a blend of superstars and future prospects.
The club has since shifted towards creating what they perceive as a sustainable transfer model, marked by a continuous cycle of arrivals and departures in recent windows. This strategy has drawn criticism at times, with many doubting the feasibility of achieving success through such an approach.
Nonetheless, with substantial time and investment poured into the project, the squad is beginning to take shape as a consistent contender at the top. Under Enzo Maresca, the Blues currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League and have made a return to the Champions League, in addition to securing a Europa Conference League trophy.
Chelsea have even found themselves in the Premier League title discussion at points this season, indicating progress towards that goal. The model itself is starting to finance transfers in a manner that adheres perfectly to the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), with player sales generating sufficient revenue to facilitate new signings.
Despite their spending spree, the west London club managed to shell out a staggering £296.5m in the summer - second only to Liverpool's record-breaking window - but recouped £314.4m from player sales, resulting in a net spend of -£17.9m. This indicates a strategy that is beginning to bear fruit and a blueprint that keeps them competitive.
Whether this will alter with the forthcoming introduction of the Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules, set to replace PSR, remains to be seen. However, it's clear that Chelsea are operating under a different paradigm compared to the Abramovich era.