Chelsea have been fined Rs 131 crore ($14.3 million) and handed a suspended transfer ban after being found guilty of breaching financial rules, the Premier League said on Monday.
Sanctions were imposed after Chelsea self-reported potential breaches to the Football Association. The issues surfaced in 2022 when a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed the takeover of the club from former owner Roman Abramovich.
According to the Premier League, the investigation found that between 2011 and 2018, undisclosed payments linked to the club were made by third parties to players, unregistered agents and other individuals.
“These payments were not disclosed to the football regulatory authorities at the time, including the Premier League,” the league said in a statement. It added that the payments amounted to a breach of the requirement for clubs to act in good faith towards the competition.
Chelsea accepted the punishment, which was ratified by an independent commission.
Alongside the financial penalty, the club has been handed an immediate nine-month ban on registering academy players. Chelsea were also given a one-year transfer ban for first-team players, which has been suspended.
