Soccer clubs have many rules and regulations to make sure everything happens fairly within them. So when someone breaks the rules, they are bound to be punished to set a precedent for other clubs to beware of something like that.
It seems that Chelsea are now being accused of breaking one of these rules; they have allegedly been involved in some secret payments. Apparently, it happened during the last regime before Todd Boehly took over, and now heavy punishment could follow.
What payment by Roman Abramovich could derail Chelsea’s season?
Chelsea are reportedly facing the prospect of being hit with points deductions in the Premier League as some allegations of secret payments have come up. It was done during the previous ownership of the club by Roman Abramovich, and these payments may have breached several Financial Fair Play rules.
The British media outlet The Guardian has opened an investigation into the recently leaked files, where it was revealed that the club has made some secret payments over many years that amount to millions of pounds. The payments were made secretly through offshore vehicles belonging to Roman Abramovich. The club’s current ownership appears to have made the leaked files known.
The payments seem to have been made to various individuals, such as the agent of Eden Hazard, a former colleague of ex-Blues manager Antonio Conte, and many other high-ranking Chelsea officials. Some payments seem to have been connected to when the Blues bought Willian and Samuel Eto’o.
The investigation’s main purpose is to determine whether the secret payments are included in any official records. If not, then the club used these payments to bypass Financial Fair Play rules to benefit them in the long run. The Football Association is now investigating them, and if found guilty, anything from a major fine to a points deduction is possible.
Chelsea are already under much pressure, despite improving in the last few matches. They are currently just 10th in the Premier League with 16 points. A points deduction would further set them back.
Chelsea’s achievements under the ownership of Roman Abramovich
While Roman Abramovich may or may not have used unfair means to help the club, there is no doubt he is their greatest factor in the success they have achieved.
The Russian oligarch had first bought the club in 2003 for a price of £140 million. He would then heavily spend on players and bring legendary manager Jose Mourinho to the club, who once made current Liverpool star Mohamed Salah cry. In the years that followed, Chelsea would become a top club. They won everything they could in England, including 5 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cup trophies, and 3 League Cup trophies.
They also dominated in Europe, winning two UCL trophies, including in 2021, and two Europa League titles as well. They also won the FIFA Club World Cup, their only international trophy. In total, the club has won 21 trophies under him in 19 years.
Despite all the success, the legendary owner was forced to leave the club. This was after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where he was given heavy sanctions by the UK government for his political connections. He then sold the club at great financial sacrifice to Todd Boehly and his American consortium, who often interfere in the managers’ jobs.
The following weeks will show whether the investigation proves that Chelsea breached the rules. If they did, then their season is about to become more troublesome.
