Chelsea escapes "death penalty": Avoids losing 15 points and relegation risk after Abramovich era scandal

Chelsea was previously at risk of a 15-point deduction – a sanction severe enough to cause their relegation from the Premier League, due to payments to unregistered representatives under former owner Roman Abramovich. Yet, by proactively reporting the misconduct and assisting the investigation, the West London club escaped the most severe penalty.

Chelsea avoided a 15-point Premier League deduction related to payments to unregistered agents, a penalty that could have relegated them if applied in the 2025/26 season.

According to the document explaining the verdict in the case between Chelsea and the Football Association (FA), the regulator stated: "The appropriate starting point for the penalty is a 15-point deduction."

However, after considering Chelsea's self-reporting of violations and full cooperation with the investigation, the penalty was significantly reduced.

If the 15-point deduction had been applied in the 2025/26 season, Chelsea would have been dragged into a relegation battle. At that time, the London club was only 13 points above the relegation zone, while West Ham – who finished 18th and were relegated to the Championship – ended the season with 39 points.

The verdict document stated: "The initial penalty will be reduced by one-third to 10 points, reflecting mitigating factors related to self-reporting and cooperation."

Chelsea was previously sanctioned by an independent regulatory commission with: a 6-point deduction (suspended until June 2027); a £10 million fine. However, after an appeal, Chelsea successfully overturned the points deduction. Instead, the club only had to pay the £10 million fine and received a transfer registration ban for two consecutive windows, also suspended until 2027.

The case originated from 74 allegations of breaches of financial and player agent regulations during the period 2011-2018, when Chelsea was still owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

The FA accused Chelsea of using and making payments to unregistered agents between 2011 and 2018. The affected deals included several high-profile signings such as Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, and Nemanja Matic. However, none of these players were accused of any wrongdoing.

The violations occurred before the BlueCo consortium took over Chelsea in 2022. After acquiring Chelsea from Abramovich in 2022, BlueCo is believed to have discovered irregularities during the financial due diligence process.

The new management then self-reported these issues to the football authorities. Chelsea stated in an official announcement: "In 2022, the club self-reported potential historical regulatory breaches to all relevant authorities. The club then worked openly and transparently with these authorities, proactively providing thousands of documents."

Chelsea also confirmed that they had finalized settlement agreements with UEFA and the Premier League, and the case with the FA was concluded, bringing an end to all legal issues related to the previous ownership period.

In an official statement, the FA said: "Chelsea has been fined £10 million for breaches of regulations concerning player agents, transfer intermediaries, and third-party investments. The club admitted all 74 breaches prior to the hearing. The independent commission originally imposed a six-point deduction suspended until 30 June 2027. The appeals panel later overturned the points deduction and replaced it with a two-window transfer registration ban, also suspended until 2027. The £10 million fine was not part of the appeal, and the entire amount will be invested in grassroots football."

A notable point is that the Premier League concluded that Chelsea did not breach the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) in the seasons under investigation, even if the aforementioned payments had been properly recorded.

Years after Abramovich left Stamford Bridge, Chelsea has finally resolved all legal matters related to the former ownership period. If they had not proactively self-reported and cooperated with the investigation, Chelsea could have faced much harsher penalties – even the risk of Premier League relegation.

Although they avoided the shock of a points deduction, the case remains a reminder of the financial and governance consequences a club may face years after controversial transfer deals.