Chelsea have been fined £10 million ($13.41 million) by the English Football Association (FA) after admitting to multiple historical breaches of regulations, the governing body announced. The breaches were self-reported by the club following its takeover by US 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. An independent Regulatory Commission initially imposed a suspended six-point deduction, but that sanction was later set aside on appeal. Instead, Chelsea will face a suspended two-window registration ban through to June 30, 2027.

The FA statement confirmed that Chelsea admitted to 74 breaches of FA Rule E1.2, including regulations relating to third-party investments and working with intermediaries. The £10 million fine was not subject to appeal, and the FA added that the full amount will be directed towards grassroots football initiatives.

Chelsea responded with a statement saying that in 2022, the club self-reported potential historical rule breaches to all applicable regulators and has since worked openly and transparently, voluntarily disclosing thousands of documents. This latest sanction follows other financial penalties, including a record £10.75 million fine in March for Premier League rule breaches, as well as a one-year first-team transfer ban (suspended for two years) and an immediate nine-month ban on academy player transfers.

The West London club have lifted the English top flight trophy six times, but not since 2017, and have won the UEFA Champions League twice, in 2012 and 2021. This fine underscores ongoing scrutiny of the club's financial practices and could impact its reputation and operations.

Source: www.aljazeera.com