Chelsea sidesteps points loss after costly FA sanction

Chelsea needed to avert a points penalty that could have jeopardised their Premier League campaign, and this season the club secured a reprieve after the Football Association reduced a six‑point sanction to a £10 million fine and a suspended two‑window transfer ban.

The FA imposed a £10 million financial sanction on Chelsea and a two‑window registration ban, both suspended until 30 June 2027.

Chelsea’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, disclosed 74 breaches of FA Rule E1.2 concerning secret payments to unregistered agents after acquiring the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

The club admitted that between 2011 and 2018 it made £47 million in undisclosed payments to unregistered agents and intermediaries.

Initially, an independent regulatory commission had handed Chelsea a six‑point deduction, suspended until June 2027, together with the £10 million fine after a hearing in December 2025, but the club appealed the points penalty.

An FA appeal board subsequently set aside the suspended points deduction, replacing it with the suspended two‑window transfer ban, allowing Chelsea to sign players this summer and next January unless further breaches occur before June 2027.

Chelsea issued a statement on Friday, saying: ‘Chelsea Football Club is pleased to confirm that a final decision has been reached by the FA’s judicial bodies…’ The club thanked UEFA, the Premier League and the FA for their engagement.

The FA said: ‘A financial sanction of £10 million and a suspended two‑window registration ban have been imposed…’ It added that the fine will be invested in grassroots football.

A Getty photograph captured the club’s announcement, underscoring the high‑profile nature of the regulatory resolution.