Chelsea have been fined £10 million and given a suspended two-window transfer ban by the Football Association after successfully challenging a ruling that could have led to them being deducted six points.
The FA appeal board’s written reasons reveals Chelsea “plainly disregarded” the rules and made undisclosed payments to agents or third-parties when signing players such as the Brazilian forward Willian and striker Samuel Eto’o during that time. Deals involving Chelsea legends Samuel Eto’o, Eden Hazard and Willian were among those found to have breached the rules.
After a submission by the Premier League, which also argued against a sporting sanction, Chelsea appealed against the commission’s original sanction and the six-point deduction was replaced with a suspended two-window ban on registering new players. While the commission had originally argued Chelsea had sought and gained a sporting advantage from their actions, the appeal board found that there was insufficient evidence to show that any advantage had actually been achieved. The club were initially given a suspended six-point deduction along with the fine but following a successful appeal, the points penalty has now been replaced by the transfer ban, which is suspended until June 30, 2027. The FA can apply to activate the ban if Chelsea commit similar breaches before that date.
The £10m fine imposed by the Regulatory Commission was not subject to appeal and the full amount will be invested into grassroots football. Chelsea can continue to sign players this summer and next January unless they breach the rules again before the end of June next year.