Chelsea have 150m buffer against fines from FA, say football finance experts

"Chelsea FC would be unaffected by any financial penalty for alleged breaches of Football Association (FA) rules during the Roman Abramovich era, football finance experts have said, after corporate filings revealed its owners have a 150m cushion against the cost. Clearlake, a consortium led by the US investor Todd Boehly, agreed to pay Abramovich 2.5bn for Chelsea in 2022, shortly after the Russian oligarch was sanctioned by the UK government over his links to Vladimir Putin."

"It said this was owing to a holdback amount, a clause inserted into the takeover deal by BlueCo 22, the subsidiary through which Clearlake bought the club. As a result of the clause, a portion of the total payment is withheld for five years, to cover the cost of any proceeding in relation to events which took place before the acquisition date, up to a value of 150m, accounts for 2022 show."

Clearlake, led by Todd Boehly, agreed to pay 2.5bn for Chelsea in 2022 after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned. The Football Association has charged the club with 74 rule breaches related to payments to agents during Abramovich's tenure, including transfers of Eden Hazard, Willian and Samuel Eto'o. Fordstam Limited said it does not expect to receive 150m of the sale proceeds because a holdback clause inserted by BlueCo 22 withholds part of the payment for five years to cover costs of any proceedings over pre-acquisition events. The holdback figure exceeds a previously reported 100m buffer.

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