Chelsea could face a points deduction over how its former owner Roman Abramovich funded the club's success during his ownership.
Leaked files revealed a series of secret payments that may have breached strict football rules, including those on financial fair play.
Abramovich's offence have been uncovered by the Guardian and international partners, with experts forecasting Chelsea's potential punishment.
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Experts claim the illegal transactions could lead to the Premier League deducting Chelsea points.
Per the Guardian's findings: "The files reveal a series of payments worth tens of millions of pounds over a decade, routed through offshore vehicles belonging to Abramovich. The transactions in question appear to have been for Chelsea’s benefit, raising questions about whether they were declared in accounts submitted to football’s governing bodies."
The agent of star player Eden Hazard, who guided the Blues to silverware during his spell at Stamford Bridge, was one of the beneficiaries and other payments appear to have been connected to the transfers of Willian and Samuel Eto'o.
Chelsea's finances are already being examined by the Premier League in an investigation that runs from 2012 to 2019.
The FA confirmed to the Guardian that it is also investigating Chelsea while UEFA has already fined the club £8.6 million over the admission.
Fresh documents that are dated during and outside the period of scrutiny rase more questions over whether the Russian billionaire repeatedly flouted the rules to benefit his then-football club.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire outlined what the potential sanctions could be if Chelsea are found guilty of breaching rules.
"If there is proof that the club has used third party transactions to circumvent the profitability and sustainability rules then sanctions would be either financial or a points deduction," he said.
"The latter is more likely as any commission investigating a club’s circumstances will want to put out a deterrent that dissuades others from repeating such behaviour."
Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea currently occupy 10th place in the table, with 16 points on the board.
Topics: Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino, Roman Abramovich, Football
Nasir Jabbar