Chelsea have been fined £10m and given a suspended two-window transfer ban by an independent appeal board after admitting breaches of Football Association agent rules, the FA has announced.
The Blues were charged last September with 74 alleged breaches of the FA’s rules around agent regulations, dealing with intermediaries on transfers, and third-party investments in players. They primarily related to the seasons between 2010/11 to 2015/16, which came under the ownership of the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea self-reported the breaches after they were discovered by club staff following the change of ownership in 2022 and referred themselves to the FA. The club admitted to all 74 breaches but an independent regulatory commission imposed a six-point deduction, suspended until 2027, as well as a £10m fine.
Chelsea have successfully appealed against the six-point penalty, which was instead replaced by the suspended two-window transfer ban. The club said on Friday that it welcomed the FA’s verdict, although the FA will continue to investigate “individual misconduct arising out of this case”.
Chelsea were separately fined £10.75m and handed a suspended transfer ban in March after reaching a settlement with the Premier League over the same historical breaches, relating to secret payments to players and unlicensed agents during transfers dealings 2011 and 2018.
In 2023, Chelsea also reached a £8.6m settlement with Uefa for “submitting incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019. It means the club have been fined a total £29.35m in three different investigations since reporting the breaches to the FA, the Premier League and Uefa. Chelsea also confirmed that the FA’s punishment “brings all regulatory proceedings against the club to a close”.
A club statement said: “Chelsea Football Club is pleased to confirm that a final decision has been reached by The FA’s judicial bodies in relation to historical regulatory matters that were self-reported by the club.
“In 2022, the club self-reported potential historical rule breaches to all applicable regulators. Following that report, it has worked openly and transparently with all regulators, including voluntarily and proactively disclosing many thousands of documents.
“As previously announced, settlement agreements have been entered into with Uefa and the Premier League concerning the same self-reported regulatory matters and topics that have been addressed before.
“The club is pleased to confirm that, now The FA process has concluded, this brings all regulatory proceedings against the club to a close. We are grateful to Uefa, the Premier League and The FA for their engagement with the club throughout these processes.”
