Chelsea remain confident they will not be hit with a points deduction or a transfer ban, as the club wait for the outcome of the Premier League investigation into payments made under Roman Abramovich’s ownership.
The Premier League launched an investigation into the club’s past financial records when the current owners reported “irregularities” that were identified shortly after the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly takeover in May 2022.
It had been hoped that Chelsea would find out their fate by the end of March, but the Premier League confirmed to Telegraph Sport that the case remains live and have therefore not ruled out any potential punishment.
It means Chelsea are waiting to find out if they will face punishment from Uefa - for the £200 million sale of the women’s team to a sister company - and the Premier League, whose investigation has scrutinised Chelsea’s signings of Willian and Samuel Eto’o as part of a wider probe into offshore payments during Abramovich’s era.
Chelsea’s owners mitigated for the threat of a fine by wiping £100 million off the £2.5 billion sale price of the club to cover “unforeseen liabilities” and have since spent over £1 billion on transfers.
But insiders have dismissed any suggestion that Chelsea’s transfer business and spending has been impacted by any fears or threat over the Premier League punishing the club with a transfer ban.
Chelsea remain confident that the club will not be punished with a points deduction or transfer ban given the investigation relates to a previous ownership and was self-reported by the current owners. It is believed a financial settlement remains the most likely outcome.
Chelsea said in a previous statement: “These allegations pre-date the club’s current ownership. They concern entities that were allegedly controlled by the club’s former owner and do not relate to any individual who is presently at the club.
“Chelsea FC’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on May 30, 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 during the club’s previous ownership. Immediately following the completion of the purchase, the club proactively self-reported these matters to all applicable football regulators.
“In accordance with the club’s ownership group’s core principles of full compliance and transparency, the club has proactively assisted the applicable regulators with their investigations and will continue to do so.”
The Premier League are still assessing Chelsea’s valuation of the club’s women’s team, which helped them comply with PSR rules. But Uefa do not allow the club to offset losses against the £200 million sale of the team, which has left Chelsea facing a fine, along with a threat of exclusion from European competition should they be found in breach of spending limits again.
