• Chelsea FC has been charged with 74 breaches related to payments to agents and intermediaries.
• The issues span the period from 2009 to 2022, mainly focusing on the seasons from 2010-2016.
• Charges were self-reported by Chelsea following their ownership change in May 2022.
• The club faces possible sanctions including fines, transfer bans, or points deductions.
• Chelsea has pledged full transparency during the investigation by the FA.

On September 11, England's Football Association (FA) charged Chelsea FC with 74 breaches of regulations concerning payments to agents, intermediaries, and third-party investment in players. These breaches are said to cover a period from 2009 to 2022, with a significant focus on the seasons from 2010-2011 to 2015-2016, as noted by the FA in their statement. The nature of the charges has not been fully disclosed by the FA, but Chelsea has stated they were "self-reported" after their change in ownership in May 2022, according to BBC and Reuters.

During the ownership transition, the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich sold the club to a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Chelsea reported that "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," confirming their commitment to transparency by providing detailed access to their historical financial data, as reported by Al Jazeera and Channel News Asia.

Chelsea has until September 19 to respond to these charges, and they may face various sanctions such as fines, points deductions, or transfer bans. A source at the club mentioned that they had "opened their books" to the FA for greater transparency, which Chelsea hopes will be a mitigating factor in potential sanctions to be imposed, according to reports from Dawn and Channel News Asia.

This step by the FA follows previous penalties Chelsea faced, including a recent fine from UEFA for financial reporting issues from 2012 to 2019. The club had been previously penalized with a transfer ban in 2019 after breaching rules regarding underage international players. Chelsea confirmed that they proactively reported their financial irregularities to UEFA and are continuing to seek an amicable resolution with the FA, as highlighted by BBC, Reuters, and Dawn.