The FA confirmed Chelsea admitted to 74 breaches of clause E1.2 in its rulebook. These violations relate to regulations concerning player agents, transfer intermediaries, and third-party investment in players.

The breaches occurred between 2009 and 2022, primarily from the 2010-2011 to 2015-2016 seasons, when billionaire Roman Abramovich owned Chelsea.

Roman Abramovich, then owner of Chelsea football club, arrives at Stamford Bridge in London before the Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid on 30/4/2014. Photo: Reuters

Initially, an independent FA disciplinary committee imposed a six-point deduction, suspended until 30/6/2027, alongside the 13,4 million USD fine. However, Chelsea appealed this decision, and an appeals panel accepted the appeal, thereby revoking the point deduction.

Instead, Chelsea received a ban on registering players for two consecutive transfer windows, but this penalty was also suspended until 30/6/2027.

"We are pleased to confirm that the FA's judicial bodies have issued final decisions concerning past management issues that the club proactively reported", Chelsea announced on 31/7.

The West London club stated that in 2022, it self-reported potential past breaches to relevant regulatory bodies. Chelsea also provided thousands of documents during the cooperative investigation process.

Chelsea confirmed that previous settlement agreements with UEFA and the Premier League, related to the same group of issues, have been resolved. With the FA's latest decision, the entire disciplinary process concerning these breaches has concluded.

The total amount Chelsea has paid in fines for these violations now exceeds 24 million USD. Previously, UEFA fined the club 11 million USD in 7/2023 for the same group of breaches.

Abramovich (second from left) celebrates Chelsea's 2021 Champions League victory. Photo: Reuters

Abramovich bought Chelsea in the summer of 2003 for 140 million pounds (nearly 190 million USD). During his tenure, he invested approximately 2 billion USD into the team, acquiring players that helped Chelsea rise to prominence as a powerhouse in the Premier League and Europe. Under his ownership, the London club won five Premier League titles, two Champions League titles, two Europa League titles, five FA Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.

The Premier League disqualified Abramovich as Chelsea owner in 3/2022, after the British government froze his assets due to alleged ties to the Kremlin amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Chelsea's current owner is the BlueCo consortium, led by American billionaire Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. During their due diligence process when acquiring the club, they identified issues and proactively reported indications of "incomplete historical financial reporting" along with potential FA rule violations.

Earlier, Chelsea faced a separate penalty from the Premier League in 3/2026, which included a 13,7 million USD fine and a suspended one-year ban on registering first-team players. This case related to financial reporting errors and undeclared payments during Abramovich's ownership of the team.

According to the settlement agreement between Chelsea and the FA, from 2011 to 2018, the club spent over 31 million USD on seven unregistered agents or related entities in transfer dealings. These transfers included players such as Eden Hazard, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, and Nemanja Matic.

Hong Duy compiled