Chelsea fined Ksh1.48B, given suspended transfer ban for breaching agent rules
By BBC, July 31, 2026Chelsea have been fined £10 million (Ksh1.48 billion) and handed a suspended ban from registering new players for two transfer windows after breaching Football Association rules relating to payments made to agents between 2009 and 2022.
However, the club avoided an immediate sporting sanction after a suspended six-point deduction, which had been due to remain in place until June 30, 2027, was set aside on appeal.
Chelsea’s current owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, self-reported 74 breaches of FA rules after purchasing the club in 2022.
The club admitted making £47 million (Ksh6.96 billion) in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties during transfers completed between 2011 and 2018.
The FA said it is continuing to investigate individual misconduct arising from the case.
The original fine was £26 million (Ksh3.85 billion) but was reduced by a third to £17.25 million (Ksh2.55 billion) after Chelsea self-reported the breaches and provided what the regulatory commission described as “exceptional and unprecedented” cooperation.
The penalty was then cut again to £11.4 million (Ksh1.69 billion) after the club entered an early guilty plea before finally being reduced to £10 million (Ksh1.48 billion) because of financial penalties already imposed by UEFA and the Premier League.
The FA said the final sanction was an appropriate punishment that would also help deter similar misconduct and protect the integrity of the game.
The £10 million (Ksh1.48 billion) fine will be invested in grassroots football across England.
The regulatory commission noted that had Chelsea not voluntarily disclosed the breaches, they were unlikely to have been discovered.
It also explained that the initial points deduction was removed because the FA did not seek one and the Premier League chose not to impose one.
In a statement, Chelsea said: “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.”
In March, Chelsea were also handed an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and fined £750,000 (Ksh111 million) over breaches involving the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.
All the breaches relate to the period when Roman Abramovich owned Chelsea.
Abramovich, who sold the club in 2022 after being sanctioned by the UK government, saw the £2.5 billion (Ksh370 billion) proceeds from the sale frozen in a UK bank account.
In 2023, leaked documents also linked the former Chelsea owner to a secret £26 million (Ksh3.85 billion) deal in 2010, allegations he has denied.