Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association with 74 alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022.
The charges are primarily focused on transfers between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons.
Three deals that form part of the investigation involved Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of those players.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was in control of the club from 2003 to 2022, before selling Chelsea to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital.
The alleged rule breaches concern agents, intermediaries and third-party investments in players.
Chelsea, who said they had reported the potential rule breaches to the FA themselves, have until 19 September to respond.
There are a wide range of options available to sanction Chelsea, including a fine, transfer embargo and points deduction. However, the Blues’ high level of co-operation will be factored inand the club don’t expect to be hit with a sporting sanction.
“During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules,” Chelsea said.
“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA.
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“The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data.”
In July 2023, Chelsea were fined £8.6m by Uefa for breaking Financial Fair Play rules as a result of “submitting incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019.
Those breaches were reported by the new Stamford Bridge ownership following the club’s sale in May 2022.
As reported by BBC Sport in October 2023, transfers involving Eto’o and Willian are also part of a Premier League investigation into potential financial rule breaches by Chelsea.
The Premier League confirmed to BBC Sport that this investigation is still ongoing.
Both players moved to the club when Abramovich was in charge, joining from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013.
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