Chelsea hit with 74 FA charges over alleged agent rule breaches in Abramovich era

The Football Association’s (FA) agent regulations have accused Chelsea Football Club of committing 74 individual violations of the rules governing agents in football.

The indictment concerns monetary and regulatory activities related to the ownership of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich between 2009 and 2022, specifically the years between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons.

The FA accuses the club of massive malpractices in the area of agent relationships and third party investment in players.

The Todd Boehly-led consortium is the new owner of the club and has been given till September 19 to officially react to the long list of charges.

Chelsea acknowledged the charges in the official statement stating: “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.”

The English football club also asserted that they recently became aware of the incomplete financial reporting by the previous ownership, writing, “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 officials also thanked FA representatives for their continuous support, “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 case is one of the biggest regulatory measures in the recent history of the Premier League. 

In the event of conviction, the club may be subjected to a hefty fine, deduction of points, or other sport-related penalties. 

This will be viewed with close attention because it will be one of the biggest challenges facing the enforcement powers of the FA and will be a landmark in the new era of the club Chelsea.