The allegations focus on the 2009-2022 period under Roman Abramovich, specifically from 2010 to 2016. Chelsea have until September 19 to respond.
A corporation led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed the acquisition of Chelsea for £4.25 billion in May 2022. This transfer ends Abramovich's 19-year tenure at Stamford Bridge and freezes the club from restrictions related to sanctions against former owners.
During the contract appraisal process, the new board was warned about what was described as an "inadequate financial report" under Abramovich. Therefore, they have proactively reported these errors to UEFA, the Premier League and the English Football Association (FA).
In July 2023, Chelsea agreed to pay UEFA 10 million Euros to settle violations of club licensing regulations and the Financial Fairness Law related to transactions from 2012 to 2019. At that time, UEFA appreciated the club's proactive approach to solve the problem.
British media said the Premier League investigation is still ongoing, while the FA has taken the case to the next level, forcing Chelsea to decide whether to appeal 74 allegations of violations or not.
The FA said in a statement: "Today, the English Football Association has accused Chelsea FC of violating the J1 and C2 regulations of the FA's football agents regulations, regulations A2 and A3 on working with intermediaries, as well as regulations A1 and B3 on third-party investment in players".
Accordingly, the football agent regulation prohibits clubs from "using services, directly or indirectly, of illegal agents related to any agency activities" and not being paid to any illegal agents.
rule C2 adds: "Clups, players or authorized agents must not arrange issues in a disguised or distorted manner, in reality and/or in the nature of any matter related to transactions or contract negotiations".
Regulations related to working with intermediaries emphasize the prevention of payment to anyone who acts as an intermediary without legal registration or without a valid intermediary contract.
British media said the focus was on allegations related to payments to individuals through foreign companies. In particular, the transfer of Eden Hazard from Lille in June 2012 with a fee of around £34 million is said to be one of the transactions under investigation.
After Hazard signed for Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson - then Manchester United manager - claimed that his club had missed the opportunity to sign Hazard because Chelsea paid a large sum of money to the centre-forward.
Ferguson said in July 2012: "I see some valuable players, like Hazard. For me, it was a big deal. He's a good player, but 34 million pounds?
Anyway, what we see is that the environment to buy these top players - transfer costs, bonuses, representative fees - is becoming unreasonable. In the Hazard deal, Chelsea paid the agent £6 million".
Another source revealed that the 2013 deals to bring Willian and Samuel Eto'o to Chelsea from Anzhi Makhachkala are also under consideration. Willian was even close to joining Tottenham Hotspur and underwent a medical check-up at Spurs before changing his mind.
Notably, the players involved in all three deals above were not involved in any wrongdoings.
The source added that the Blues' tax-related issues have been resolved with the Royal Commission for Taxation and Customs (HMRC). The club also conducted an internal investigation and concluded that the Premier League's profit and sustainability ratio (PSR) was not violated during the period mentioned.
The allegations center on 2010-2016, when Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup.
