Chelsea has been fined £10m by the Premier League for making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third-parties over transfers between 2011 and 2018.
The Premier League's report, as reported by the media outlet, named several transfers related to the unregistered payments, including those of Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto'o, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, and Nemanja Matic.
The club accepted the charges, which occurred under Roman Abramovich's ownership, and has been handed a suspended transfer ban, according to the Premier League.
Police and Authority Response
The Premier League said the £10m fine would have been £20m, but was reduced by 50% due to Chelsea's proactive self-reporting and co-operation with the process.
Chelsea also received an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and a £750,000 fine over the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.
Investigation and Timeline
The Premier League's investigation showed that even if the higher estimated costs of the off-books payments to agents had been included in previous Profitability and Sustainability Rules calculations, the club would still have been compliant.
Chelsea self-reported the potential breaches after Todd Boehly's consortium acquired the club in 2022, and the club said it has treated these matters with the utmost seriousness, providing full cooperation to all relevant regulators.
Official Statements
Chelsea said: "From the outset of this process, the club has treated these matters with the utmost seriousness, providing full cooperation to all relevant regulators."
The Premier League added that Chelsea would not have breached its Profitability and Sustainability rules during the applicable seasons, even if the payments had been registered, and therefore did not deem a points deduction to be an appropriate punishment.
