Source:REUTERS/John Sibley
[Saba Sports News] According to British media reports, Chelsea’s Premier League rivals are unhappy that the club has not been handed a points deduction. Under the Premier League’s ruling, Chelsea made secret payments totalling £47.5 million to players, three members of staff and intermediaries between 2011 and 2018. During this period, Chelsea won two Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Europa League. The payments were made to persuade players to join Chelsea rather than rival clubs. For instance, Eden Hazard chose Chelsea because Manchester United refused to pay his agent more than £5 million in off-the-books fees. The violations were reported by Chelsea’s new owners, who uncovered the issues after taking over the club and fully cooperated with the investigation, submitting 200,000 documents. Given the club’s level of cooperation and the fact that the breaches occurred under previous ownership, a lighter punishment was imposed.
The editor believes that Everton and Nottingham Forest – who were deducted points simply for overspending – will surely question this outcome, while Manchester City, still embroiled in a legal battle with the Premier League, will no doubt analyse the ruling carefully. In other words, this will be interpreted as secret payments to players and agents, even involving deception and concealment related to financial issues, not leading to a points deduction or more severe punishment.