Chelsea charged by FA with 74 alleged rule breaches | OneFootball

Alleged transgressions span between 2009-22, when the club were owned by Roman Abramovich

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Chelsea have been charged by the FA for alleged rule breaches during the Roman Abramovich era.

The alleged breaches relate to conduct between 2009 to 2022 and primarily between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons.

Chelsea say the alleged breaches were self-reported by the club after they came to light during the due diligence process undertaken by the Clearlake and Todd Boehly consortium prior to their takeover from Abramovich in 2022.

An FA statement said: “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 Player Regulations.

The Clearlake and Todd Boehly consortium completed its takeover from Roman Abramovich in 2022

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“In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC.

“The conduct that is the subject of the charges range from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events that occurred between the 2010-11 to 2015-16 playing seasons.

“Chelsea FC has until September 19 to respond.”

Chelsea say they have “demonstrated unprecedented transparency” during what they call a “complex case”, and say they have given “comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data”.

In a statement, Chelsea 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.”

The Premier League and FA have both separately investigated alleged irregular payments related to the signings of Willian and Samuel Eto’o by Chelsea in 2013. Payments connected to the signing of Eden Hazard in 2012 have also been under investigation.