Chelsea have been charged with 74 breaches of the FA’s rules on working with agents and around third party investment in players.
The Premier League club have been accused of breaking regulations between 2009 to 2022.
An FA statement said that the charges ‘primarily relate to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons’.
Daily Mail Sport understands that the club’s current US owners discovered potential issues when they carried out due diligence around their takeover.
They quickly reported self-reported the matter to the FA. All of the alleged offences are said to have taken place before their own involvement.
Chelsea have until September 19 to respond. They may argue they have co-operated fully with the FA’s probe, which followed from them alerting the body to the situation at the earliest opportunity.
Chelsea have been hit with 74 charges rule breaches related to Roman Abramovich’s era
The FA have a wide range of sanctions available, including those of a sporting nature such as points deductions or transfer ban. Given Chelsea’s apparent co-operation, and the fact that the alleged offences took place under previous ownership, a fine may also be an option.
An FA statement read: ‘The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of Regulations J1 and C2 of The FA Football Agents Regulations, Regulations A2 and A3 of The FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries, and Regulations A1 and B3 of The FA Third Party Investment in Players Regulations.
‘In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. The conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons.
‘Chelsea FC has until 19 September 2025 to respond.’
A Chelsea statement in response to the charges read: ‘Chelsea FC is pleased to confirm that its engagement with The FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion.
‘The club’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on 30 May 2022. During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules.
‘Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including The FA.
The Todd Boehly-led consortium self-reported incomplete financial reporting following their takeover of the club in 2022
‘The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data. We will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible.
‘We wish to place on record our gratitude to The FA for their engagement with the club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago.’
A separate Premier League investigation remains ongoing.
