There could be arguments a points-deduction from other Premier League clubs if Chelsea’s £1.5billion debt to Roman Abramovich is written off after the expected change of ownership, according to The Independent.
From Chelsea’s point of view, this sounds absolutely ridiculous.
They have already suffered from restrictions imposed on them by the UK government after the sanctioning of Abramovich, and any further punishment looks excessive at this point.
Chelsea are currently up for sale, with Friday reportedly being the deadline for any potential buyer to submit their bid, and are expected to cut ties with the sanctioned Abramovich very soon.
Some of the other clubs, however, want Chelsea to pay for what is seen as “years of unfair advantage”, the Independent claims.
This obviously refers to the successful 19 years Chelsea have had under Abramovich’s ownership.
The report highlighted the possible talks of a points-deduction if Chelsea’s £1.5bn debt to Abramovich through parent company Fordstam Ltd is wiped off.
The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, via Twitter, also mentioned the possible Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues that come with Abramovich’s writing off the debt.
Bear in mind, FFP allows club owners to put a maximum of €30million (£25.1m) of equity into clubs per season to cover losses.
Chelsea, however, are in a unique situation. It remains unclear how long Abramovich will be under sanctions by the UK and EU governments, which means repaying the loans will also prove complicated.
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