Chelsea ‘could face a points deduction’ if Premier League launches investigation into MILLIONS paid to Roman Abramovich-era secret offshore companies after new owners reported the trouble
- Chelsea could face heavy fines or points deduction if found to be in breach of the rules
- Todd Boehly warned the Premier League about discrepancies in their accounts
- Chelsea was fined £8.6 million by UEFA last month for the same irregularities
The Premier League is investigating Chelsea over claims they paid millions to offshore companies during Roman Abramovich’s reign.
An investigation has been launched after the club’s American bosses, who took over after the Russian’s forced departure, reported themselves to the top flight, the Football Association and UEFA.
While Chelsea have yet to be charged, if found guilty they could face a significant fine or point deduction.
Stamford Bridge’s new owners submitted the submissions after raising concerns about a number of previous transactions they had uncovered during the takeover process.
Their concerns center on a number of payments to various offshore entities that are thought to be related to transfers and were not included in Chelsea’s annual reporting due to financial regulations.
New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly warned FA, Premier League and UEFA about the differences in the bills following his takeover of the club in May 2022
The Premier League’s investigation covers the period between 2012 and 2019, when Roman Abramovich (pictured) owned the club
Chelsea was fined £8.6 million last month for breaching Financial Fair Play rules
The probe will investigate possible links between the offshore entities and those involved in the transfers.
Payments by Chelsea to the father of Danish defender Andreas Christensen, who joined from Brondby in 2012, are expected to form part of the investigation.
They were made public in 2018 by the Danish newspaper Politiken, which claimed – as part of its “Football Leaks” collection of documents – that the club hired Sten Christensen as a scout the day they signed a deal for his son, and then paid more. then £650,000 over four years while still employed as goalkeeping coach at Brondby.
Chelsea have already agreed an £8.6 million settlement with UEFA for financial fair play breaches that also concern their previous ownership.
Both Chelsea and the Premier League declined to comment.