The news will have come as no surprise to Chelsea, with the possible irregularities self-reported by the club’s owners after their takeover from Roman Abramovich three years ago.
Chelsea also self-reported to UEFA and the Premier League. Chelsea were fined £8.6million by UEFA in 2023 and a Premier League investigation is still understood to be ongoing.
Here, Standard Sport explains everything you need to know about the FA charges…
What have Chelsea been charged with?
Chelsea’s charges relate to FA rules on clubs working with agents.
These alleged breaches refer in particular to transfers that took place in the period between 2010 and 2016 and concern agents, intermediaries and third-party investments in players.
The alleged offences span a period between 2009-22, when the club were owned by Roman Abramovich
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The issues were self-reported by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium after completing their takeover of Chelsea in 2022, having emerged during the due diligence process.
An FA statement said on Thursday: “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.
“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 released their own statement in response to the FA charges.
The club emphasised that they have demonstrated “unprecedented transparency” in cooperating with the process and providing full access to their data.
Chelsea also noted that the alleged offence “took place over a decade ago” under different ownership.
Todd Boehly ad Clearlake’s Behdad Eghbali, who bought Chelsea from Abramovich in 2022
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A statement said: “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.”
What sanctions could Chelsea face?
There are a range of options available to the FA if Chelsea are found guilty of any wrongdoing.
Chelsea will hope their cooperation and the fact that they brought these potential breaches to the attention of the FA will work in their favour.
There is also the argument that these charges relate to a time period in which the club was under different ownership.
On the more minor end of the scale, it could be decided that a fine is sufficient. According to reports, Chelsea are expecting a financial sanction rather than a sporting sanction.
But a transfer ban or a points deduction are also possibilities.
Chelsea have until September 19 to respond to these charges.
Any sanctioning process of course cannot begin until then, once Chelsea have decided whether to accept the charges or not.
Chelsea are not expected to contest the 74 charges.
An independent regulatory commission will decide on a punishment, but no timeframe has yet been established for a final, public conclusion.
