Chelsea charged with 74 rule breaches by FA over agents, investments

Chelsea have been charged with 74 charges by the Football Association (FA) on Thursday after the London club were accused of breaching rules related to football agents, intermediaries and third-party investment in players.

The charges are not made public by FA, but Chelsea said the matters were 'self-reported' by the club's new owners, who took over in May 2022.

The FA issued a statement saying the charges cover events from 2009 to 2022.

"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," the FA said in a statement.

The club was owned by a Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, at the time, but he put Chelsea up for sale in 2022 after sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich, who bought Chelsea in 2003, sold the club to an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

The Chelsea stated that after completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of the potential breaches of rules and self-reported the matters.

"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," Chelsea said in a statement.

"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."

The FA said Chelsea can respond to the charge until September 19.

According to Reuters, Chelsea had made their financial records available to the FA so that England's football governing body could make informed judgments on the past payments.

The nature of the charges or the irregular payments is not known, but reportedly, they were related to the men's team.