‘Chelsea should be banned for a year’ – extraordinary verdict
Chelsea look set to negotiate a financial settlement with Uefa after breaching their spending rules in recent seasons.
Uefa have rejected Chelsea’s £200million sale of the women’s team, which helped them post a profit for the 2023-24 campaign.
The London outfit are now reportedly in talks over a settlement for an overspend – with proceeds from that deal, and a transaction which saw club hotels transferred, excluded from the balance sheet.
Uefa rules apply to Chelsea as they are participating in this year’s Conference League and will have hopes of playing Champions League football next season.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – suggested the Blues are “getting away” with it, insisting he is “surprised they haven’t been banned”.
Uefa to issue final warning to Chelsea over spending, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness has insisted Uefa’s decision to fine Chelsea may serve as a final warning over their spending.
The Blues are widely reported to have spent around £1.5billion on players since the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital takeover in 2022.
| Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
| 2 | Arsenal | 31 | 62 | 30 |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 31 | 57 | 14 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 31 | 53 | 17 |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 30 | 53 | 13 |
| 6 | Man City | 31 | 52 | 17 |
Wyness insisted he is surprised Uefa aren’t taking a harder stance.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I don’t know why, but they’re going to let Chelsea get away with a fine.
“I’m surprised they haven’t been banned for a year, or whatever, but it does look like it’s going to be a financial penalty.
“It’s not a great look, I’m surprised Uefa aren’t being a bit harder.
“They may be warning Chelsea – saying ‘we’ll let you off this one time, but going forward – you can’t do it.’”
Chelsea set for lucrative shirt deal
Meanwhile, Football Insider revealed on Friday (11 April) Chelsea are well placed to agree a lucrative front-of-shirt sponsorship deal if they qualify for the Champions League.
The Premier League side have played without a primary shirt sponsor throughout the current campaign after their deal with Infinite Athlete expired last summer.
Stamford Bridge chiefs have now turned their attention to a shirt deal for next season, with Todd Kline spearheading their commercial operations following his arrival from Tottenham.
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