Chelsea respond as the FA hit them with 74 charges over alleged payments to agents

Chelsea have been hit with 74 charges by the Football Association over alleged payments to agents, the governing body has revealed.

The charges relate to Roman Abramovich’s time at Stamford Bridge with the Russian making the west London side into one of the biggest clubs in world football.

Chelsea won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues and three League Cups during the Russian’s time at the club.

But that period of success could now come at a cost with the FA hitting Chelsea with 74 charges over regulations around agents and third-party investment in players.

A statement from the FA on Thursday read: “The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of regulations J1 and C2 of the FA Football Agent 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.

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“Conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and finality relates to events which occurred between the 2010-11 the 2015-16 playing seasons.

“Chelsea FC has until 19 September 2025 to respond.”

The Premier League club almost immediately responded, Chelsea said in their own statement: ‘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.

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‘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.’

Under Clearlake’s ownership, Chelsea have once again spent a lot of money in the summer transfer window and former defender William Gallas has warned them of a potential “problem” with new signing Jorrel Hato.

On Hato, Gallas told Gambling Zone: “I think we’ll see more of him when the other competitions start to kick into gear.

“I don’t expect to see him against the biggest sides in the Champions League, but he should get some time on the pitch in the League Cup, the FA Cup and against the weaker sides in the Premier League.

“I think that will be his chance to show everyone what he can do. Because as a defender, especially at this age, it’s not easy, especially when you’re alongside older players.

“There are also loads of new players in the squad who are having to adapt themselves. Of course, everyone will be trying to help him, but it’s up to him to show his quality.

“I’m sure he’s got the personality, so that means he won’t be afraid of the challenge. The one problem he might have is he’s a little small for a centre-back, so maybe he’ll get more time as a full-back.

“In the Premier League, the requirements are completely different from the Netherlands, so let’s see where he plays.

“He has played a lot at left-back, so perhaps he will be able to give Enzo Maresca a rotation option in that position and can [be a back up] for Marc Cucurella.

“He can also play on the left of a back three.”