Chelsea's stance on FA punishment revealed after 74 charges

Chelsea are not expecting a sporting sanction after the Football Association (FA) released a statement on Thursday morning detailing the club had been hit with 74 charges, football.london understands.

The Blues were charged for offences relating to working with football agents, intermediaries and third party investment during Roman Abramovich's ownership of the club. Chelsea, though, are expecting a resolution more in line with the UEFA settlement from a few months ago. Back in July, the club were fined and a resolution similar to that is expected, in terms of it being financial and not a major sporting sanction.

Sporting sanctions, such as points deductions, are understood not to be on the agenda for Chelsea. football.london understands the charges from the FA are relating to primarily tax-related matters that have since been dealt with in cooperation with HMRC.

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Also, Chelsea self-reported and are working closely with the FA over the alleged breaches, as the club's official statement said: "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."