Chelsea fined £10 million for FA rule breaches
Chelsea has been fined £10 million ($19.2 million) by the English Football Association after admitting to multiple historical breaches of regulations.
The breaches were self-reported by Chelsea after its takeover by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital in May 2022.
The Premier League club avoided a points deduction after successfully appealing part of the original punishment. However, Chelsea will face a suspended two-window registration ban through to 30 June, 2027.
After reviewing the case, an independent Regulatory Commission initially imposed a suspended six-point deduction, but that sanction was later set aside on appeal.
"Chelsea FC admitted to 74 breaches of FA Rule E1.2 prior to a hearing and an independent Regulatory Commission imposed a six-point deduction, which was to be suspended until 30 June 2027, and a £10 million fine," a FA statement read.
"The club appealed against the suspended points deduction and an independent Appeal Board allowed the appeal and set aside this sanction following a further hearing."
Rule breaches included of regulations relating to third-party investments and on working with intermediaries, among others.
The £10 million fine was not subject to appeal, with the FA adding that the full amount will be directed towards grassroots football initiatives.
"In 2022, the club self-reported potential historical rule breaches to all applicable regulators," a Chelsea statement read.
"Following that report, it has worked openly and transparently with all regulators, including voluntarily and proactively disclosing many thousands of documents."
The latest sanction comes after other financial penalties imposed on Chelsea for historical regulatory violations.
In March, the club was fined a similar amount for breaches of the Premier League regulations.
Chelsea was also handed a one-year first-team transfer ban, suspended for two years, along with an immediate nine-month ban on academy player transfers.
