Chelsea hit with major 74 charges by the FA

The FA made the announcement today

The discrepancies are alleged to have taken place between 2009 and 2022 when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich owned the West London club.

The 74 charges apply to six separate FA regulations that Chelsea are said to have broken.

The full FA statement reads: "The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of Regulations J1 and C2 of The FA Football Agents Regulations, Regulations A2 and A3 of The FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries, and Regulations A1 and B3 of The FA Third Party Investment in Players Regulations.

"In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. The conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons."

Chelsea have until 19 September to respond to the allegations.

Per Daily Telegraph writer Matt Law, alongside the FA charges, the Premier League is also carrying out its own investigation, which is still ongoing.

Chelsea have released a statement of their own on the FA allegations.

It reads: "Chelsea FC is pleased to confirm that its engagement with The FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion.

"The Club’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on 30 May 2022.

"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.

"Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the Club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including The FA.

"The Club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the Club’s files and historical data.

"We will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible.

"We wish to place on record our gratitude to The FA for their engagement with the Club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago."