Chelsea face 74 FA charges: What happens if the Blues are found guilty?

Chelsea have joined Manchester City in facing possible punishment from the FA relating to breaches of its regulations.

What are Chelsea accused of?

The FA confirmed via an official statement on Wednesday that Chelsea face 74 accusations related to agents and intermediaries between 2009 and 2022.

This was prior to BlueCo taking over the running of the West London side.

Among the deals that have fallen under scrutiny are the signings of Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto’o, according to GiveMeSport.

Essentially, Chelsea stand accused of making undisclosed payments to agents and intermediaries, using offshore companies to make payments outside of the FA’s knowledge and possible breaches of third-party ownership.

In a statement, the FA said: “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.”

How could Chelsea be punished?

If found guilty, Chelsea face significant potential punishment, ranging from fines to points deductions or even a transfer ban.

The Premier League has typically used points deductions for teams that have breached its Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) but the FA has leaned towards fining clubs for financial issues such as undisclosed payments.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been subject to a transfer ban from FIFA in 2019 when they were found to have breached regulations on signing players under the age of 18. The Blues were found guilty of having illegally signed or registered minors in 29 of 90 cases FIFA studied.

Owners BlueCo are likely to argue that it was the previous regime that holds responsibility for this alleged rule-breaking and, therefore, would appear to have a case for a softer punishment if any wrongdoing is found.

On top of this, it was Chelsea’s owners who self-reported the issue, and this transparency is likely to result in a more lenient sanction than they might otherwise have expected.

In a statement, the Blues said: “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.”

It’s unclear exactly what will happen to the Blues if they are found culpable, but a particularly harsh sanction appears unlikely.