Chelsea have been fined £10.75m and handed a one-year transfer ban suspended for two years.
The Premier League’s sanction agreement shows Chelsea made secret payments totalling £47.5m to agents and other individuals between 2011 and 2018, when Roman Abramovich was owner.
Chelsea have also been given a nine-month academy transfer ban with immediate effect relating to the club’s registration of youth players between 2019 and 2022.
The investigation determined these payments “occured with the knowledge and approval” of former senior employees and/or directors, the sanction agreement shows.
The transactions came to light during the due diligence process when the new American owners bought the club in 2022. They self-reported the irregularities to the Premier League, the FA and UEFA.
At least six suspect payments to offshore companies connected to transfers were identified.
The seven-figure payments were not in accounts that the club submitted to the football authorities at the time.
The transfers investigated are believed to include the moves of Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Andreas Christiansen.
Clubs have to provide the FA and Premier League accurate financial information every year. The same applies for UEFA and clubs playing in their competitions.
UEFA’s five-year statute of limitations means they could only investigate breaches going back to 2017/18. The Premier League does not have a statute of limitations.
