Chelsea accused of ‘cheating’ as La Liga president furiously points finger at Blues
La Liga president Javier Tebas has made a stunning accusation of Financial Fair Play “cheating” against Chelsea, citing the long-term contracts awarded by the club in the January transfer window.
Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Benoit Badiashile have recently signed contracts with Chelsea that extend until either 2030 or 2031.
While this practice is legal, it allows the club to distribute the cost of a player over a longer period, helping them comply with FFP regulations.
This approach has displeased La Liga, which has set rigorous financial restrictions on its own teams. President Tebas has expressed his dissatisfaction with Chelsea and has gone as far as accusing them of “cheating.”
“Chelsea are clearly cheating by signing players on eight or nine-year contracts,” Tebas said at a press conference on Thursday.
UEFA has initiated plans to restrict clubs from offering massive contracts to new signings. In January, Chelsea manager Graham Potter acknowledged that the significant contracts offered to young players were risky.
“There is no guarantee anywhere, no magic formula that says this is going to work and this is how we see the future,” Potter told reporters.
“The players we identified are young, they’ve got quality. With Mudryk and Joao (Felix) coming on loan there’s a certain type of player in terms of age. They are starting their careers so they are ambitious … they’re here to win and compete.
“Those are the upsides but is there a life without risk? No. Whatever you do there is risk and there is a chance it might not work. You have to understand that and the consequences.”
Javier Tebas (La Liga President): "Chelsea are clearly cheating by signing players on eight or nine-year contracts…" pic.twitter.com/Q5QvexYq3n
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) March 16, 2023
Tebas’ recent criticism follows his accusation that the British transfer market is “doped.” In the January transfer window, British clubs spent more than £1 billion, with Chelsea alone signing eight players.
“The British market is a doped market. You can see it clearly in this winter market where Chelsea have made almost half of the signings in the Premier League,” Tebas said in February.
“Following the history of the last few seasons, we have done some work on La Liga because [the Premier League] has lost billions of pounds in the last few years. And this is financed with contributions from the patrons, in this case large American investors who finance at a loss.
“This does not happen in the Spanish league and neither does it happen in the German league.”
Chelsea accused of ‘cheating’ as La Liga president furiously points finger at Blues
