Chelsea FC have been fined £10.75 million by the Premier League and handed a one year transfer ban that will remain suspended for two years following an investigation into undisclosed payments linked to player transfers during the club’s previous ownership.
The sanctions relate to financial dealings that occurred when the club was owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich between 2011 and 2018. The issues reportedly came to light during the due diligence process that preceded Chelsea’s acquisition by an American ownership group in 2022.
According to the Premier League, several payments connected to transfer dealings were not fully disclosed in financial reports submitted to football authorities at the time. Investigators identified multiple seven figure payments made to offshore companies that were linked to player transfers.
The league explained that the punishment imposed on the club was influenced by the actions of the current owners, who voluntarily reported the irregularities after discovering them during the takeover review.
Officials said Chelsea’s proactive self reporting and exceptional cooperation during the investigation played a key role in determining the final penalty.
In addition to the financial fine and suspended transfer ban, the club has also been given a nine month restriction on registering academy players. The sanction takes effect immediately and relates to issues involving the registration of youth players between 2019 and 2022.
Football authorities including the The Football Association, the Premier League and UEFA require clubs to submit accurate and complete financial disclosures each year as part of regulatory compliance.
Reacting to the decision, Chelsea confirmed that the club accepts the settlement and acknowledged the league’s recognition of its cooperation throughout the process.
In a statement, the club said it voluntarily disclosed potential historical rule breaches to regulators in 2022, including incomplete financial reporting that occurred more than a decade ago.
Chelsea added that thousands of documents were submitted during the investigation and that the club responded promptly to requests for information from the Premier League.
Some of the transfer deals examined during the probe are believed to involve players such as Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Andreas Christensen.
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