Under Roman Abramovich, Chelsea allegedly used backroom deals to benefit the club and conceal spending.
The British newspaper The Guardian reported on Friday (Aug. 15) on the possibility that Chelsea may have breached Financial Fair Play (FFP) in the way it spent money under Abramovich. “Experts said the dealings, which were uncovered by a joint investigation by international partners, could lead to the Premier League imposing penalties on Chelsea, including a points deduction,” the publication explained.
According to the documents obtained by The Guardian, more than tens of millions of pounds were paid to benefit Chelsea through an outside company owned by Abramovich. The English Football Association is currently investigating the allegations, according to the submission. The Premier League (PL) secretariat also launched an investigation after Todd Boeli took over the club and reported allegations of financial misinformation during the Abramovich era.
One of several alleged irregularities revealed by the media also involved Antonio Conte. Abramovich’s company, Conibear Holdings, decided to invest £10 million in Federico Pestorello, an agent who was close to Conte, the same day it was announced that Conte had re-signed with Chelsea.
Pestorello may have played a role in Conte’s decision to sign with Chelsea. If true, Abramovich’s outside assets were used for the benefit of the club. This is a clear violation of FFP.
It doesn’t stop there. When Chelsea signed Eden Hazard in the past, Hazard’s agent, John Biko-Pinak, reportedly demanded a fee of £6 million. Later, a company owned by Abramovich signed a €7 million investment deal with a company in the United Arab Emirates, and it was Pinak, the player’s agent, who signed the contract on behalf of Abramovich’s company.
If it turns out that the agent’s fee, which Chelsea is obligated to pay, was paid to the agent through external funds, this would be an FFP violation. It’s an irregularity that reduces the club’s spending. In addition to Conte and Azar, there have been allegations that the signings of Eto’o and Willian, among others, have been funded not with Chelsea money but with capital from Abramovich’s company. 보스토토
Sports lawyer Samuel Cuthbert, who was consulted by the Guardian, said: “If a club hides its spending by paying through another entity, it is conceivable that it could be in breach of FFP rules. Any opportunity to gain an unfair advantage favors certain clubs, distorting competition and undermining the value of football at a fundamental principle level.”
If all of these allegations are found to be true, the general consensus is that Chelsea will not be able to avoid a points deduction. Kieran Maguire, a soccer finance expert, says: “If there is evidence that a club has used third-party transactions to evade profitability and sustainability rules, the sanction will be a fine or a point deduction. Compare Chelsea’s situation to