EXPLAINED: Premier League investigate Chelsea over potential breach with possible sanctions

EXPLAINED: The Premier League are to investigate Chelsea over a potential rules breach with possible sanctions being reported.

Chelsea’s new owners reported their own club to UEFA and the Premier League after their takeover in 2022, and if found guilty of rules breaches, sanctions could include a fine or points deduction.

In July, UEFA fined Chelsea €10m (£8.6m)for “submitting incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019.

Payments made between 2012 and 2019. Also payments to family of at least one player during that time.

— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) August 8, 2023

Kaveh said on Sky Sports News: “To just make it really, really simple and clear, every year, clubs have to give the FA, the Premier League and UEFA their accounts to show them exactly how much money they’ve been spending, how much money they’ve been bringing in.

“Now, last summer, around May, the new owners of Chelsea were in the final stages of their takeover, and they were doing a lot of due diligence on the club, going through all the books, and they noticed a few discrepancies.

“So what they did is they did everything by the book. They reported what they’d found to UEFA, the Premier League and the FA.

“Now, we saw about twelve days ago, UEFA announced that they’d basically fined Chelsea for financial rule breaches €10 million. I think that’s around 8.6 million pounds. Now, at that stage, we were almost certain that if UEFA were looking into this, Chelsea had self reported to UEFA, so they would have self reported to the FA in the Premier League as well.

“And what we know is that the Premier League are investigating these discrepancies as well. Now, the Premier League are not saying anything, we won’t hear anything from the Premier League at all unless Chelsea are actually charged.

“At that stage, there would be a short statement from the Premier League saying Chelsea have been charged for X, Y and Z. And as far as Chelsea are concerned, they are not commenting at all. But I think it’s important to remember that this is something that Chelsea reported themselves.

“It is something that the new owners discovered during the takeover process, and it’s got nothing to do with the new owners. This is something that happened between 2012 and 2019, under the previous ownership and under the previous people who were responsible for the day to day running of the club.

Why are Chelsea under investigation by the Premier League?

Could the club potentially face the punishment of a points deduction? 📉@SkyKaveh explains all ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/WAubltyTB8

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 9, 2023

🎙 “There is potentially quite serious consequence for Chelsea”

Jason Burt discusses the the Premier League’s investigation into Chelsea for potential financial rule breaches 💰 pic.twitter.com/clH1sOFB16

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 8, 2023

When asked: “Who’s accountable then? Because what could the consequences be? Because this was under Roman Abramovich, of course.”

Kaveh replied: “Well, as far as UEFA are concerned, UEFA have got a statute of limitations, which basically means that they can only investigate and fine you for things that you’ve done in the past five years. That’s as far back as they go. So in Chelsea’s case, when they were fined €10million, that was just looking back to 2017.

“Nothing before then. Now, the Premier League don’t have a statute of limitations, so they can look all the way back to 2012. Now, what could happen, we’re talking hypothetically. If Chelsea are charged, then if they don’t accept the charges, the Premier League would set up an independent commission who would look at the charges, they would hear the Premier League side of the story, then they would hear Chelsea’s defence, and then it would be up to the commission to decide if Chelsea should be punished.

“Now, if they were punished, what could the punishment be? Well, it could be something like a fine. It could even be a points deduction. Or we may not get to that stage because there may not be any charges. Or if there are charges, Chelsea may just hold up their hands and agree a settlement with the Premier League.

“But we’re getting a little bit ahead of ourselves. The important thing to bear in mind is that this is something that Chelsea reported themselves and also that it’s got nothing to do with the present owners or the present people running the club.

“And I’d also have to mention some brilliant reporting, as always, by Martin Ziegler in the Times last night and this morning, and he’s actually got some more detail, which we haven’t seen. And he believes that these charges are all todo with payments that were made off the books to agents and also, in one case, to a family member of a player who Chelsea signed. And these payments were made secretly, for instance, to offshore bank accounts.So that is what Martin Ziegler believes is behind all this.”

Meanwhile on Man City…

🗣 “The allegations have been laid, it’s now in the hands of an independent panel.”

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters was unable to give a time frame on when the investigation conducted on Manchester City will be concluded pic.twitter.com/KLdvX5nbe8

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 9, 2023

This is what fans said as the Premier League investigate Chelsea over potential breach with possible sanctions…

@colin769: Got to wonder how this got past the @premierleague & @UEFAcom considering it’s Chelsea that have reported themselves?

@sazzam31: Everyone knew Chelsea were cheating. Everyone knows City are cheating. Everyone knows all state / oligarch owned clubs will cheat. Nothing will happen. It’s all a load of nonsense from suits who have to look like they’re doing the right thing.

@MrWayneGarton: So now it’s chelsea added to Citeh, totally consequences zero as the premier league won’t stand up to either club

@NOludoye: Another Season, another problem!!!

@AtTheBridgePod: Our new owners reported the club and will likely land us with a point deduction, you couldn’t make this up 😂😂

@MarkAshton_7: Meanwhile Man City carry on without scrutiny! #115charges

@j_brincat88: A certain club have 115 but we don’t hear no more! Watch chelsea get done before them also!

@BassMUFC: If Chelsea get a point deduction before Manchester City, the FA and the integrity of the sport as a whole is cooked

@Kalan76529590: About time!!!!! 20+ years they have been buying trophies. Hope they get what they deserve!

@DeanMcMackin: They’re all at it. All the armchair fans will laugh it off and not give a shit of course

@John_B58: Sounds similar to City doesn’t it ? Cooking the books in lay terms ?

@Byronb_86: Its almost like all these uber rich oil/gas/insert any countries commodity money owners are all dodgy and corrupt

@GuyBradley: The only penalty that would effect these clubs would be a 5 year ban from Europe. That would massively affect turnover, and player attraction, Chelsea & City would be nowhere near Europe without their rich benefactors buying trophies. It’s all a bit late now to sanction

@NickGerman1: Sound familiar @LutonTown fans???

@KevinTh94455200: Will the media push for them to be relegated? Where’s the outcry like the was in February against city ? How many breaches are there each player bought during the period must have played a part in the hidden investment which breaks ffp . Premier League we await 🏆🏆🏆

@tsm308gts: Can you now make a news report on why they will get away with it and make it disappear?

@RCStrasbourgFC: Now the last season feels like a script. read it somewhere that #ChelseaFC board saw this coming and made experimental changes in the last season as they already knew we might miss on the europe place due to such investigations. Another Todd Boehly masterclass? 🤔