Two-time European champions Chelsea have been fined £10.75 million and handed a suspended one-year transfer ban after they were found guilty of breaching Premier League rules.
The Blues will pay a £10 million fine, which represents the largest ever fee imposed on a club by the league and will pay another £750,000 over the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.
They were also given a nine-month academy transfer ban which comes into effect immediately, with payments to third-parties and unregistered agents between 2011 and 2018.
The breaches occurred under the administration of Russian former owner Roman Abramovich, who handed over ownership to the Todd Boehly consortium in 2022.
It had been earlier reported that Chelsea self-reported transfer-related breaches to the Premier League after the takeover in 2022 and had been under investigation since then.
Several players were mentioned to have been involved, although they were not found guilty of having any involvement in the deals.
Also, the six permanent managers employed during the period were also exonerated of any wrongdoing, which was done fully by the club.
Chelsea were also previously fined £8.6 million by UEFA in 2023 and have now been handed another fine this time around by the Premier League.
The Premier League also revealed that the club’s earlier self-report and co-operation during the course of the investigation protected them from further sanctions, which could have included a points deduction.
Chelsea have also received a major blow on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain; with captain Reece James ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The England international, who committed his long-term future to the club last week, is expected to miss several weeks out of action with the injury.
Chelsea welcome PSG to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, hoping to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg to reach the last eight of the Champions League.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
