A report has suggested that the club made a ‘string of secret payments

Everton’s Premier League rivals Chelsea could be hit with a points deduction as they face questions over potential financial fair play breaches during Roman Abramovich’s ownership.

Abramovich sold the Stamford Bridge side to a Todd Boehly-led consortium in May 2022 after being hit with sanctions by the UK government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The billionaire purchased Chelsea in 2003 and injected hundreds of millions of pounds that transformed the club as they won five Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup

Leaked documents, however, appear to reveal a “string of secret payments that may have breached strict football rules,” according to a Guardian investigation. Payments are said to have been sent through “offshore vehicles belonging to Abramovich,” and those who benefited included Chelsea employees as well as the agency of former winger Edin Hazard, an acquaintance of Antonio Conte, who guided the team to Premier League victory in 2017.

Chelsea “may have broken Premier League rules that require the submission of accurate accounts, another provision demanding that clubs act in good faith, and the Football Association’s rules requiring disclosure of payments to agents,” according to lawyers who spoke with the newspaper but asked not to be named.

According to reports, Chelsea’s finances from 2012 to 2019 are already being investigated by the Premier League. Football financial expert Kieran Maguire thinks a future point deduction might be the penalty if they are proven guilty. “Sanctions would be either financial or a points deduction if there is proof that the club has used third party transactions to circumvent the profitability and sustainability rules,” he stat.