Stefan Borson: Chelsea are facing points deduction – ‘They have admitted everything’
Chelsea are waiting for the verdict to be revealed in their disciplinary hearing after being charged by the FA.
Chelsea have been under investigation since BlueCo, which is spearheaded by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, took over the club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022.
The Blues reported themselves to the Premier League, Uefa and the FA after discovering during the takeover process “incomplete financial information” had been submitted to the football authorities between 2012 and 2019.
Chelsea were charged by the FA in September with 74 alleged rule breaches relating to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022, with events between the 2010-11 to 2015-16 seasons the primary focus.
The Times reported on Tuesday (9 December) Chelsea’s hearing is due to end this week, but it remains unclear when the independent regulatory commission will announce its verdict.
Chelsea are ‘briefing very heavily’ about disciplinary hearing
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Chelsea are likely to receive a points deduction if they are deemed to have gained a sporting advantage.
Chelsea reached an £8.7million settlement with Uefa in July 2023 due to the governing body having a statute of limitations that meant it was able to look back only as far as the 2018-19 season, while a Premier League investigation is believed to still be ongoing.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the FA charges, Borson said: “Chelsea briefed very heavily that they don’t expect a points deduction or sporting sanction. They say, ‘We’ve admitted everything and, therefore, we should just get a financial penalty’.
“A financial penalty would be no penalty at all because it will all be paid by the previous owners and everybody carries on as if nothing’s happened.
“Now, the problem with that is, first of all, Chelsea have admitted everything. So, what tends to happen in these situations, or what has happened, is the disciplinary hearing is not really a hearing on liability, i.e. whether they did it or not, that’s established that they did it.
“The hearing becomes a sanction hearing, which is you tell us what the mitigating factors are, and the FA will argue what the aggravating factors are and will allow the panel then to come up with a punishment.”
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider Premier League clubs will demand Chelsea are deducted points after allegations emerged around Eden Hazard’s move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea gained ‘sporting advantage’ after secret payments revealed
The Times reported in April Manchester United missed out on signing Hazard in 2012 after they refused to pay his agent, John Bico, a secret multi-million-pound payment, which would have breached the governing body’s rules.
The newspaper said at the time a Premier League investigation was continuing into allegations an offshore company belonging to Abramovich made a £6m payment in 2013 to Bico via a Dubai firm after Chelsea signed Hazard for £32m from Lille in 2012.
“It’s very hard in my view to see how the FA do not say that Chelsea via these payments achieved a sporting advantage,” said Borson.
“They did that by acquiring players that other teams wanted to buy, and some of the biggest players in Chelsea’s recent history are included in this case, the Hazards and players of that type.
“If that argument is successful for the FA, that Chelsea have had a sporting advantage over a number of seasons, that usually leads to a sporting penalty. A sporting penalty is points deductions.”
Everton were previously deducted eight points for breaching the profit and sustainability rules (PSR), with Nottingham Forest docked four points for the same offence.
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