OFFICIAL: Chelsea faces transfer ban and hefty penalty

Chelsea has been fined a total of £10.75 million and handed a suspended transfer ban after an investigation uncovered secret payments related to deals during Roman Abramovich's era.

Chelsea has received a financial penalty amounting to £10.75 million, along with a suspended transfer ban conditional for two years and a ban on academy player transfers for nine months following an investigation into past secret payments.

According to the football governing body's findings, these violations originated from the period when the club was owned by billionaire Roman Abramovich. After taking over the club, Chelsea's American ownership group proactively reported previously undisclosed payments to player agents, hoping to mitigate the penalties.

The investigation focused on expenditures related to Chelsea's transfer deals during the early 2010s. This includes the deal bringing Eden Hazard to Stamford Bridge from Lille in 2012, as well as the acquisitions of Samuel Eto'o and Willian in the summer of 2013.

The authorities confirmed that three former Chelsea players were not involved in the misconduct and bear no responsibility for these payments.

Eden Hazard joined Chelsea for a fee around £32 million just weeks after the London club first won the Champions League in 2012. A year later, Chelsea spent £30 million to sign Willian, a player who had been closely linked with Tottenham. During that same transfer period, striker Samuel Eto'o also arrived at Stamford Bridge for a fee of approximately £2 million.