Chelsea FC has been charged with 74 breaches of Football Association regulations, dating from 2009 to 2022, according to a statement released by Wembley on Thursday morning.

The FA said: “The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of regulations J1 and C2 of the FA Football Agent 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. Conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022, with finality relating to events which occurred between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 playing seasons. Chelsea FC has until 19 September 2025 to respond.”

Sources say the charges mainly concern deals for overseas-based players, with no domestic transfers involved.

Managers under scrutiny during the period include Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, and Gus Hiddink. Between 2010 and 2016, Chelsea won the Champions League, Europa League, and all three major domestic trophies.

The issue stems from payments made directly to intermediaries rather than through the club’s official accounts, which meant they were not included in Chelsea’s PSR calculations for those years. However, accountants brought in by Chelsea’s current board have confirmed that, even if the payments had been included, the club would still not have exceeded PSR limits.