Chelsea Football Club has been fined £10 million and handed a suspended two-window transfer ban after admitting to multiple breaches of the Football Association’s agent regulations. The penalties were announced following an independent appeal board’s review of the club’s conduct, primarily covering the 2010-11 to 2015-16 seasons under the ownership of Roman Abramovich.

The FA initially charged Chelsea last September with 74 violations involving the use of unauthorized agents or unregistered intermediaries during player transfers. The club was also accused of submitting false and misleading documentation to the FA. These breaches reportedly included undisclosed payments to agents or third parties for signings such as Brazilian forward Willian and striker Samuel Eto’o.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Chelsea’s ownership transitioned from Abramovich to the consortium BlueCo. It was under the new ownership that the club disclosed these regulatory breaches to the FA. Chelsea admitted to all 74 alleged violations as part of the investigation.

An independent regulatory commission initially imposed a six-point deduction on Chelsea, suspended until 2027, in addition to the £10 million fine. However, the club successfully appealed the points deduction, which was replaced by the suspended transfer ban covering two future transfer windows.

The FA described Chelsea’s conduct as showing a “plain disregard” for the rules governing the use of agents. While the club has welcomed the ruling, the FA stated that it will continue investigating individual misconduct related to the case. No further sanctions have been announced pending the outcome of this separate probe.