The Football Association (FA) has charged Chelsea Football Club with 74 alleged breaches of agent regulations, raising fresh questions over the club’s financial dealings during the Roman Abramovich era.
The charges, announced on Thursday, cover transactions made between 2009 and 2022, with most of the alleged breaches linked to the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons.
The Premier League giants have until September 19, 2025, to formally respond to the allegations.
Chelsea, in a swift reaction, released a statement stressing that the club had been the first to self-report the suspected violations after Todd Boehly’s consortium completed its takeover in May 2022.
The new ownership said they discovered “potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions” during due diligence checks before buying the club.
“Immediately upon completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA,” the statement read.
Chelsea added that they had shown “unprecedented transparency” throughout the process and would continue to cooperate fully with the governing body.
This is not the first time Chelsea’s finances under Abramovich have come under scrutiny.
In July 2023, UEFA fined the club €10 million (£8.6 million) after finding “incomplete financial reporting” related to past dealings.
That resolution also came after Chelsea’s new owners voluntarily approached European football’s governing body.
Abramovich, who purchased Chelsea in 2003, oversaw nearly two decades of success, transforming the West London club into a European powerhouse.
However, his tenure ended abruptly in 2022 after the British government sanctioned him for his alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich has consistently denied direct financial connections to the Kremlin.
The sanctions forced Abramovich to sell the club, with proceeds from the £2.5 billion sale frozen by UK authorities.
The government has since pushed for the money to be used for humanitarian relief in Ukraine, while Abramovich has argued it should support victims of the conflict on all sides.
The latest FA charges reignite debate over the true scale of Chelsea’s financial operations during Abramovich’s reign.
While the Boehly-led ownership has taken steps to draw a line under the past, the outcome of the FA’s investigation could still carry severe reputational and financial consequences for the club.
For now, Chelsea insists it remains committed to transparency and compliance, but the FA’s findings could reshape how the football world views one of England’s most successful modern clubs.
