The Premier League is surprisingly lenient': did Chelsea get off lightly?

"The breaches, more than 30 of them, relate to at least 47m in off-book payments linked to landmark deals for star players, including Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic. Many of these secret transactions, routed through Abramovich's network of offshore companies, were revealed in an investigation published by the Guardian and international partners in 2023."

"No. The Clearlake consortium that bought the club from Abramovich inserted a 150m holdback clause into the 2.5bn takeover deal. This sum is withheld for five years, to cover any costs arising from actions during the Abramovich era. Uefa fined Chelsea more than 8.5m in 2023 for incomplete financial reporting under Abramovich. Throw in the Premier League's knuckle-rap and the total amounts to less than a quarter of what Chelsea received in 2019 from selling Hazard to Real Madrid."

"This impact, or lack of it, must be set against the benefits that Chelsea enjoyed during the period covered by the breaches (2011-18): two league titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and a League Cup. The club went on to win multiple trophies thereafter, thanks in part to the platform for success created during the Abramovich reign."

Chelsea was found guilty of more than 30 breaches of Premier League rules during an eight-year period under Roman Abramovich, involving at least £47m in off-book payments routed through offshore companies for star player acquisitions including Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz, and Nemanja Matic. The club received a £10.75m fine and a suspended transfer embargo. However, the penalties appear lenient when considered against the £150m holdback clause in Clearlake's takeover deal, previous UEFA fines of £8.5m, and the fact that total penalties amount to less than the £60m Chelsea received from selling Hazard. The suspended embargo only applies if further breaches occur within two years. During the breach period, Chelsea won two league titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups, and a League Cup, establishing a platform for continued success.

Read at www.theguardian.com