Chelsea Hit with Record Fine for Abramovich-Era Breaches

Chelsea have been handed a record £10.75-million fine and a suspended transfer ban from the English Premier League (EPL) over financial breaches during Roman Abramovich’s ownership.

Between 2011 and 2018, the club funnelled £47.5 million through offshore companies to agents and third parties to facilitate transfers for players, including Eden Hazard and Willian.

The EPL halved the initial £20m fine because the new owners, BlueCo, self-reported the irregularities. The league established that these undisclosed payments were not reported at the time and “should have been treated as having been made by the club.”

While the first-team transfer ban is suspended for two years, Chelsea received an immediate nine-month academy ban for separate breaches. The club stated that “without those voluntary disclosures and the act of self-reporting, a number of the Premier League rule breaches may never have come to the attention of the league.”

Chelsea still face 74 Football Association charges regarding agent regulations.

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