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Chelsea are in ongoing discussions with the Premier League to avoid point deductions for alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules during Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club, according to multiple reports.
Bought by a Russian billionaire Chelsea In the summer of 2003 and a small part of his fortune at the club over the next two decades, the Blues won five Premier League titles and a pair of Champions League crowns. Abramovich has been charged To achieve that success he defied the financial regulations put in place during his tenure.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the former governor of Chukotka was forced to relinquish control of the club which was eventually bought for £2.5bn by Bluco, an investment group jointly led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. After going through the club’s accounts, the new owners flagged “potentially incomplete financial reporting”.
According to leaked documents published by The Guardian In November 2023, these irregularities related to secret payments made during transfers that led to Eden Hazard (in 2012) as well as Willian and Samuel Eto’o (both 2013). An alleged associate of former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is also believed to have benefited from these secret installments which were not recorded to avoid breaches of FFP.
Premier League Chief executive Richard Masters described the revelation of theses in August as “something historic”.
If these allegations of cheating the system are proven, Chelsea would theoretically risk point deductions. After all, Everton and Nottingham Forest were punished for overspending last season. however, The Times Claims that Chelsea are continuing to negotiate with the Premier League to avoid that severe penalty and settle the case with a cash fine instead.
The Telegraph Go so far as to claim that talks are advanced and club insiders insist they will avoid dropping any points.
Chelsea’s defense stems from the new owners’ approach to transparency. The irregularities were highlighted during the due diligence process that preceded the club’s effective sale and were raised with the FA, the Premier League and UEFA.
At the time of the sale, Bluco held a £150m reserve to cover any fines that might arise from this potential breach of conduct.
Hazard was signed from Lille for £32m while Willian (£30m) and Eto’o (free transfer) arrived a day after each other in August 2013 from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. There are allegations that the latter two deals involved payments to separate “Russian entities”. transfer fee
The Times Claim that the case is still under discussion and a result is expected before the end of March, when of The Telegraph The timeline suggests a resolution will be reached “in the next few weeks.”
