Gavel Against Blue Background

Chelsea’s 74 Charges: Could the Blues Face Points Deduction This Season?

It’s taken more than two years for Manchester City’s 115 charges case, with allegations of financial fair play, to get close to anything even resembling a final verdict.

But you can almost guarantee that Chelsea’s case – and any subsequent punishments forthcoming from it – will take place a whole heap quicker than that.

The Blues stand accused of breaching six different Football Association regulations, mostly to do with payments to agents, between 2009 and 2022.

And, if they are found guilty, Chelsea could be hit with sanctions that range from a transfer embargo to a points deduction.

74 Charges: What are Chelsea Accused Of?

As per the FA, Chelsea have been charged with breaching three different regulatory codes and six statutes within them:

  • The Football Agents Regulations – J1 and C2
  • The FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries – A2 and A3
  • Third Party Investment in Players Regulations – A1 and B3

All in all, 74 charges have been levied against the club for the period 2009-2022, although the focus of the Football Association’s investigation has largely been focused on a timeline between 2010/11 and 2015/16 – when Roman Abramovich owned Chelsea.

Digging into the detail, there are three former Chelsea players that are at the heart of the probe: Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian. Although none of that trio are said to have done anything wrong, the transfer deals that brought them to Stamford Bridge are under the microscope.

When Todd Boehly acquired Chelsea from Abramovich, the due diligence process identified a number of irregularities with regards to the reporting of financial details relating to the transfers of the three players named above.

This financial reporting was ‘incomplete’, i.e. some key pieces of information were not disclosed, so Chelsea went to the FA and effectively held their hands up to the historical errors.

It’s hoped that such self-reporting will stand the Blues in good stead…

What Punishments Could Chelsea Face?

According to the FA’s rulebook, a wide variety of punishments are available to the governing body for the breaking of the regulations detailed above.

One breach might have resulted in a stern telling off, but 74 – as is the case here – will likely be met with a more forceful penalty.

Options include a fine, but the FA could also call upon competitive sanctions, which range from an embargo for any upcoming transfer window to a points deduction in the Premier League.

Chelsea have now released a statement in relation to the charges, commenting:

“We will continue working collaboratively with the FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible.

“The Club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data.

“We wish to place on record our gratitude to the FA for their engagement with the Club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago.”

Will Chelsea Get Away with the 74 Charges?

The main issue here is the number of charges: 74 rule breaches is, let’s face it, a considerable amount… and one that the FA is unlikely to look too favourably on.

It will be fascinating to see how Chelsea are judged given the backdrop of Manchester City’s own charges, with rumours – as of mid-September 2025 – suggesting that a verdict for that long-standing legal battle is now on the horizon.

It’s also worth noting that the Blues reported the alleged rule breaches to the FA themselves – that should stand them in good stead if found guilty, with regards to any sanctions that are forthcoming.

That honesty is likely to be considered if the club is found guilty, as is the fact that the errors took place under a former ownership regime, so the hope is that any punishment is at the lower end of the spectrum – potentially, a fine might be considered more appropriate than any ‘sporting’ sanction.

And although the sum would likely be hefty, it’s not expected to have any major impact on Chelsea meeting their Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) obligations – a situation made all the more comfortable by the £84 million pocketed by winning the Club World Cup in the summer of 2025.

And, by way of context, a similar investigation conducted by UEFA back in 2023 found the club to be liable for a series of financial reporting errors – specifically submitting ‘incomplete’ data to the governing body.

UEFA decided to fine Chelsea £8.6 million, and so the hope is that a similar level of punishment will be dished out by the Football Association here.