CHELSEA FINED £10M OVER AGENT RULE BREACHES

Chelsea have been fined £10 million and given a suspended two-window transfer ban following breaches of Football Association agent regulations. An independent appeal board set aside a six-point deduction that had previously been suspended until 2027, replacing it with the transfer ban. The club admitted to all 74 breaches of FA rules relating to agent payments, intermediaries on transfers, and third-party investments in players. Chelsea self-reported the breaches after new ownership identified them in 2022 and referred the matter to the FA.

The breaches primarily occurred between 2009 and 2022 under former owner Roman Abramovich, though one report stated the core period ran from 2010/11 to 2015/16. Chelsea admitted making £47 million in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties over transfers between 2011 and 2018, according to one account. Current owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital discovered the violations following their purchase of the club. The FA stated it would continue investigating "individual misconduct arising out of this case". The £10 million fine will be invested into grassroots football.

The decision concludes the club's regulatory proceedings with the FA, following separate settlement agreements already reached with UEFA and the Premier League over the same matters. In March, Chelsea received an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and a £750,000 fine over academy player registration between 2019 and 2022. The club said it had worked "openly and transparently" with all regulators and voluntarily disclosed thousands of documents during the investigations.