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PL sanctions on Chelsea could have been worse

Chelsea have been handed a suspended one-year ban from signing first-team players and given a £10million ($13.7m; €11.6m) fine from the Premier League relating to breaches of financial rules during Roman Abramovich’s time as owner.

The ban is suspended over two years, meaning that Chelsea will still be able to register senior players if they do not commit any further breaches. No sporting sanction, such as a points deduction, has been imposed.

The club have also been banned from registering academy players for a period of nine months. The restriction, which comes into immediate effect, only applies to youth players that have previously been registered with another Premier League or English Football League club’s academy, and not any current players, international players or players who are registering on professional terms. It also does not apply to players who are applying for their first registration at Under-9 or otherwise, the Premier League said. The club will also pay a £750,000 fine and the league’s full costs.

Not being able to sign academy players from other Premier League or EFL clubs for the rest of 2026 is a blow for Chelsea, who are consistently among the most active recruiters of top young prospects in England. But they already have plenty of talent in their various age group teams at Cobham, and this sanction does not affect their ability to retain it.

Chelsea were always quietly confident that they would avoid a sporting sanction for historical breaches of the Premier League’s rules on financial reporting, but confirmation of this outcome should prompt a collective sigh of relief at Stamford Bridge.

While overshadowed by the Premier League’s ongoing legal battle with Manchester City, this investigation has hung over Chelsea for almost four years. One result that underlines the severity of the breaches is the £10m fine, the amount that the league has fined one of its member clubs.

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