Chelsea in danger of facing points deduction after 'secret' payment revealed
Roman Abramovich made secret payments to William and Eto’o family
The Premier League may dock Chelsea points for reported suspected covert payments about Willian and Samuel Eto’o’s moves.
The Todd Boehly consortium revealed suspected financial irregularities at Chelsea to authorities after taking over the club in May 2022, and the Premier League is currently investigating these claims. Roman Abramovich sold the Blues to the new owners after the UK government imposed sanctions against the oligarch as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Because Chelsea submitted “incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019, UEFA already penalised the team £8.6 million.
However, according to The Times, matters might soon worsen because Willian and Eto’o’s August 2013 transfers from Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala are currently being scrutinised.
Financial documents purport to demonstrate that Chelsea paid “Russian entities” and offshore businesses without deducting any transfer fees. Only a few months after the Russian team paid the same amount to Shakhtar Donetsk for the Brazilian winger, Willian signed a £30 million contract with Anzhi, while Eto’o arrived free of charge.
There’s no indication that either player was aware of the payments, which were discovered during due diligence last year by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital partnership. The FA, Premier League, and UEFA were notified by their new owners.
Although they were not included in the club’s initial annual accounting, they could still face consequences for the purported seven-figure payments, as the club would have violated its regulations.
Even if the alleged violations occurred during the Abramovich era, the Premier League has the authority to determine whether to apply harsh fines or a points punishment if found guilty.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.