Chelsea are set to face even more questions about their success under former owner Roman Abramovich after leaked documents appear to show a string of payments that potentially breached Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, as well as other strict laws of the game.
Through a joint investigation by the Guardian and a group of international outlets including the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) and Germany’s Paper Trail Media, files have been uncovered relating to a series of payments spread out over a decade worth tens of millions of pounds.
These payments are reportedly ‘routed through offshore vehicles’ which belong to the Russian billionaire, who was forced to sell the club in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw sanctions imposed on his UK assets. The transactions are believed to be for Chelsea’s benefit, with some questioning whether the governing bodies were made aware of the accounts.
Those that benefitted from the payments appeared to include the agent of Chelsea great Eden Hazard, who retired just last month, an associate of the title-winning manager Antonio Conte and Chelsea FC officials. Last month, the Blues’ acquisition of both Willian and Samuel Eto’o also came into question after it was revealed that a company owned by Abramovich also made payments that appear to have benefited fellow Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, the owner of Anzhi Makhachkala whom the pair played for. London Football
