Chelsea have been fined £10 million ($13.4m) and given a suspended two-window transfer ban after losing their appeal against penalties for breaching English Football Association agent rules, the FA confirmed on Friday.
The west London club admitted to 74 breaches in total of FA regulations covering agents, working with intermediaries and third-party investment in players. An independent commission that initially heard the case imposed the fine together with a six-point deduction, suspended until 30 June 2027. Chelsea appealed against that ruling, and an appeal board replaced the points penalty with the suspended transfer ban. If activated, the ban would prevent the club from registering new signings for two windows, with the suspension due to run from 2027.
The sanctions stem from the change of ownership at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea's owners self-reported the breaches to the football authorities in May 2022, while they were in the process of buying the club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Transfers that raised potential concerns during the due-diligence process included deals involving Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o and Willian, though no suspicion attaches to the players themselves.
