30 October 2023 , 19:08
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Chelsea could be deducted points by the Premier League after self-reporting alleged secret payments related to the transfers of Willian and Samuel Eto’o.
The Premier League is looking into alleged financial breaches at Chelsea, which were reported to authorities by the Todd Boehly consortium once they took over the club in May 2022. The new owners bought the Blues from Roman Abramovich after the UK government sanctioned the oligarch following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea were previously fined £8.6million by UEFA for submitting “incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019. But The Times reports that things could be about to get much worse, with the transfers of Willian and Eto’o from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2013 now under the microscope.
Financial records allegedly show that payments were made by Chelsea to offshore companies and “Russian entities” separate to any transfer fee. Willian was signed for £30m from Anzhi just months after the Russian side bought the Brazilian winger from Shakhtar Donetsk for the same fee, while Eto’o came on a free transfer.
There is no suggestion that either player knew of the payments, which were uncovered by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium when they conducted due diligence last year. The new owners reported them to the FA, Premier League and UEFA.
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But they could still be sanctioned for the alleged seven-figure payments because they were not registered as part of the club’s original annual financial reporting, which means the club would be in breach of their rules. If found guilty, the Premier League could decide to impose heavy fines or a points deduction, despite the alleged breaches coming in the Abramovich era.
Todd Boehly's consortium self-reported the payments to the Premier League (Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock)Chelsea said in a statement: “These allegations pre-date the club’s current ownership. They concern entities that were allegedly controlled by the club’s former owner and do not relate to any individual who is presently at the club.
“Chelsea FC’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on May 30, 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 during the club’s previous ownership. Immediately following the completion of the purchase, the club proactively self-reported these matters to all applicable football regulators.
“In accordance with the club’s ownership group’s core principles of full compliance and transparency the club has proactively assisted the applicable regulators with their investigations and will continue to do so.”
Samuel Eto'o and Willian played together for Chelsea in the 2013/14 season (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)UEFA has a five-year statute of limitations, meaning the 2013 transfers fall outside of their time frame, but the Premier League is investigating. The alleged payments under investigation were reportedly made to at least six offshore companies and one alleged payment went to a player’s family.
Willian, 35, is now playing for Chelsea’s rivals Fulham. He spent seven years with the Blues, contributing 63 goals and 62 assists in 339 appearances, helping to win two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Europa League. Eto’o signed a one-year deal with Chelsea and only played a single season with the club before he joined Everton. The 42-year-old is now the president of the Cameroon Football Federation.