CHELSEA are close to escaping a points deduction for the secret payments during the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
The Stamford Bridge club paid a £8.6m fine to Uefa in 2023 when they confessed to the illegal payments made to agents and players.
GettyFormer Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was accused of making secret payments[/caption]
AlamyFinancial records were unearthed during the sale of the club to Todd Boehley[/caption]
Chelsea were under legal obligation to own up to the breaches, with Prem legal chiefs investigating the matter for 18 months.
But it has emerged that the Blues are now negotiating a financial settlement with Prem legal beaks.
This would allow them to avoid a points deduction.
That could spark a rebellion from Prem rivals – who believe Chelsea should be fully punished for their actions even though the ownership of the club has since changed.
The Prem investigation centres on the signings of Brazilian Willian and Cameroon superstar Samuel Eto’o in 2013, as well as the arrival of Eden Hazard 12 months earlier.
Financial records unearthed during the sale of the club to the Todd Boehley-led consortium – forced on Abramovich by the Government after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – suggested that Abramovich has sanctioned off-book payments to complete the signings.
The sums involved were not disclosed to any authorities – meaning that Chelsea effectively sidestepped financial fair play scrutiny at the time.
Chelsea appear to have successfully argued that the breaches would not have emerged if it had not been for the due diligence process surrounding the sale.
In addition, the current Blues hierarchy were able to point to the fact that they were not involved in the club at the time.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
Under Prem rules, a “sanction agreement” between the League and clubs is possible.
But that must be ratified by the competition’s Judicial Panel.
Such a solution is likely to cause another rift between some clubs and Prem leaders.
Willian signed for Chelsea despite having been courted by Spurs, who believed they had an agreement in place with Russian club Anzi Makhachkala before the midfielder made a last-gasp change of mind.
Chelsea player ratings vs Bournemouth
CHELSEA failed to win for their fourth Prem outing in a row as they drew 2-2 with Bournemouth.
Having taken the lead through Cole Palmer, things went very wrong in the second half.
Justin Kluivert scored from the spot after a poor challenge from Moise Caicedo led to the penalty.
Antoine Semenyo then put the Cherries in front.
But up stepped Reece James to fire in a brilliant 95th minute penalty and salvage a point.
Here’s how the players rated…
Robert Sanchez – 5
His (or Enzo Maresca’s) insistence on playing the “riskiest pass in football” almost cost his side in the first half, but he wasn’t caught out on this occasion. Couldn’t do an awful lot about either of the goals, a pretty average performance.
Moises Caicedo – 3
Was solid in the first half if not a little fortunate not to be booked for a few “tactical” fouls. However, he got caught out in the second 45 and gave away a penalty through a poorly timed tackle on Semenyo. Not the kind of performance we’ve become accustomed to seeing from him as his passes too often went astray.
Josh Acheampong – 5
Made a few good blocks and tackles in the first half, but was easily beaten by Semenyo before he smashed home the goal that put Bournemouth in the lead. Looked a little inexperienced out there, but you can tell he has quality – was taken off for Tosin in the second half shortly after the goal, who you would imagine will take the starting spot going forward.
Levi Colwill – 6
Imperious in the air and across the ground in the first half. Didn’t do a lot wrong truth be told, but no clean sheet cost him a higher score.
Marc Cucurella – 6
Stepped into his tackles well and was solid throughout the game, keeping David Brooks quiet on the right for Bournemouth. Wasn’t as influential in an attacking sense as we have seen him be this season, but still did a decent job.
Romeo Lavia – 5
Dominant in midfield in the first half, and was brilliant in transition, looking like a master of his craft. Unfortunately, a second-half mistake saw him caught out which led to the Bournemouth penalty before he was then booked for a late tackle. Was taken off shortly after he was booked and replaced by Reece James.
Enzo Fernández (c) – 6
Worked well as he had done previously when given the license to roam forward, knowing he had Lavia and Caicedo behind him. Bournemouth’s midfield had no answer to him with the ball at his feet, but as for many of the Blues, he was much quieter in the second half.
Noni Madueke – 6
Arguably deserved a first-half assist after he left a defender on the floor with a mazy run from the right-hand side, but Nicolas Jackson fluffed his lines in front of goal. Continued his good work on the ball in the second half and generally created some good chances that weren’t finished.
Cole Palmer – 8
Looked like he was out to impress from the start, with a cheeky nutmeg followed by a Lampard vs Hull-esque dink early on which didn’t come off. This was all before the 12th minute where he sat interim goalkeeper Mark Travers on his backside with a fake shot before slotting home for the opening goal. He created good chances too for Jackson, but faded pretty heavily after his goal.
Jadon Sancho – 4
Two nutmegs in quick succession was the highlight of his first half, but he was pretty quiet throughout the 90 minutes.
Nicolas Jackson – 6
His first half performance would have had fans raving about how he is the second coming of Didier Drogba. But his second half reminded us of why he’s not, with two huge bites at the Cherries missed that ultimately cost his side.
SUBS
Reece James (Romeo Lavia, 56) – 8
Made the perfect comeback from his injury woes, with a rocket of a free-kick guided into the bottom right corner. Looked strong and composed on the ball after his introduction.
Tosin Adarabioyo (Josh Acheampong, 71) – 7
Brought a bit more presence and leadership to a Chelsea team that looked as though it was lacking exactly that tonight. Had a good header saved by Travers at the death, you’d imagine he will be starting against Wolves.
Joao Felix (Moises Caicedo, 80) – 6
Did really well with limited minutes on the pitch after being bought on. A tame effort on goal was saved by the Bournemouth keeper, but it was his mazy dribbling that won the free-kick that James fired home to equalise.
Pedro Neto (Noni Madueke, 80) – 5
Didn’t get long enough to properly warm into the game and Chelsea didn’t find him enough, could probably count his touches on your fingers.
The Brazilian spent seven years at Stamford Bridge.
He played over 230 times for the Blues, winning two Premier League titles and the Europea League in 2019.
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