Online Reporter
England’s Football Association brought 74 charges against Chelsea on Thursday, alleging breaches of its football agents’ regulations, its regulations on working with intermediaries and third party investment in players regulations.
“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,” the FA said in a statement.
The FA did not elaborate on the charges but Chelsea said the matters were “self-reported” by the club after the change in ownership in May 2022.
At the time, the London club was owned by Roman Abramovich, but the Russian billionaire put Chelsea up for sale in 2022 following sanctions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He completed the sale to an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
“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,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA.
“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.”
The Premier League returns this weekend after a two-week pause with clubs eager to show off their new transfer window purchases, none more so than champions Liverpool, for whom Alexander Isak could make his debut at Burnley on Sunday.
An astonishing £3 billion ($4.05 billion) was spent by the 20 clubs in England’s top-flight, a fair chunk of it in the last few days of trading as clubs beefed up their squads for the months ahead.
Isak’s acrimonious split from Newcastle United was finally resolved in the nick of time, with Liverpool paying a British record £125 million for the Swedish goal-machine.
The 25-year-old did not play a single minute for Newcastle this season as he was effectively frozen out and while he did come off the bench for a brief cameo for Sweden against Kosovo on Monday, it is unlikely he will start at Burnley.
However, manager Arne Slot will be keen to give him some minutes at Turf Moor where Liverpool will be seeking to maintain their 100 percent start to the defence of their crown with a fourth win.– Supersport.
