Chelsea have avoided a points deduction after winning their appeal against punishment for breaking Football Association agent rules.
The club will instead face a suspended transfer ban for two transfer windows and must pay a 10 million pound fine.
The case involved 74 breaches linked to player transfers and agent rules between the 2010 and 2016 seasons during Roman Abramovich’s ownership.
Chelsea reported the issues themselves after the club changed owners in 2022. They also admitted all 74 breaches during the investigation.
An independent regulatory commission first handed Chelsea a six point deduction, suspended until 2027, along with the financial penalty.
However, the club appealed the sporting punishment. An independent appeal board removed the points deduction and replaced it with a suspended two window transfer ban.
Chelsea welcomed the final decision in a statement.
“Chelsea Football Club is pleased to confirm that a final decision has been reached by The FA’s judicial bodies in relation to historical regulatory matters that were self reported by the club.”
The club said it fully cooperated with the investigation after reporting the matter.
“In 2022, the club self reported potential historical rule breaches to all applicable regulators. Following that report, it has worked openly and transparently with all regulators, including voluntarily and proactively disclosing many thousands of documents.”
Chelsea also said previous agreements with UEFA and the Premier League covered the same historical matters.
“As previously announced, settlement agreements have been entered into with UEFA and the Premier League concerning the same self reported regulatory matters and topics that have been addressed before.”
The club added that the FA decision brings the long running process to an end.
“The club is pleased to confirm that, now The FA process has concluded, this brings all regulatory proceedings against the club to a close. We are grateful to UEFA, the Premier League and The FA for their engagement with the club throughout these processes.”
Chelsea had already accepted separate financial penalties from the Premier League and UEFA over the same historical issues. Across all three investigations, the club has paid a total of 29.35 million pounds in fines. The FA said it will continue investigating any possible individual misconduct linked to the case.
