Simon Jordan has accused Chelsea of being 'bigger and worse offenders' than Manchester City, arguing the Blues continued breaking financial rules even after spending restrictions were tightened. His comments follow the Premier League's ruling that found Manchester City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed the decision.
Abramovich-era spending and trophies
Chelsea became a dominant force in English football after Roman Abramovich bought the club from Ken Bates in 2003. His investment helped fund a team that won back-to-back Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho. The Blues won 21 trophies during Abramovich's ownership, including five league titles and two Champions League titles, but later admitted breaches relating to undisclosed payments made during his tenure.
Earlier this year, the club was fined £10.75 million and given a suspended one-year first-team transfer ban over those violations. Chelsea also received an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and a separate £750,000 fine for breaches connected to youth player registrations.
Financial violations and penalties
The financial violations centred on £47.5 million worth of undisclosed payments made between 2011 and 2018 by third-party entities linked to Abramovich for Chelsea's benefit. The Times reported that the payments were connected to deals involving Eden Hazard, Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, Nemanja Matic and Samuel Eto'o, as well as three unnamed players. Payments were also reportedly made to former director of football Frank Arnesen and scout Piet de Visser.
Chelsea's self-reporting and cooperation were taken into consideration when determining the penalties. The Premier League also concluded that the club would not have breached its profitability and sustainability rules even had the undisclosed payments been properly declared in their financial submissions.
Jordan's criticism and reaction
Jordan argued that Chelsea's early expenditure under Abramovich gave them a significant edge before financial restrictions were tightened. He believes their subsequent rule-breaking warrants far greater scrutiny, questioning why Manchester City have drawn considerably more criticism. Speaking on Piers Morgan's Sports Uncensored, he said: "If you believe in fairness and Man City's team have been assembled in an unfair way, but the interesting thing for me is that if you introduce unjust rules - don't be surprised when people behave unjustly."
"Why there is real rage about Chelsea? Chelsea were allowed to do what Man City were never allowed to do and yet, six years after they were allowed into the room, they still cheated. So Chelsea got in the room, got to spend what they want, Man City come along and then people went 'no, you can't come in, we're going to shut the door now.' But Chelsea were already in that room and five years later, they're still cheating. So Chelsea actually are bigger offender and worse offenders than Man City. Because Man City weren't ever allowed to be in the room and they've had to cheat to get in the room. So when you think about it in those terms, start getting some ire about Chelsea as well."
Chelsea have been approached for comment by Mirror Football.
