Interesting article in the Athletic regarding the ‘leniency’ of the FA towards Chelsea. Article is behind a paywall so here are some clips: It’s some result for them if you consider the scale of offending — financial chicanery, dodgy deals, cheating, whatever you wish to call it — that was brought before the English Football Association (FA) without, ultimately, leading to anything more than a £10million ($13.4m) fine.
It goes on to compare the treatment of Chelsea with Everton, Forest,
So let’s recap what exactly Chelsea did to warrant their 74 disciplinary charges and decide for yourself whether it was less or more serious than the disciplinary cases involving the clubs who, coincidentally, aren’t regarded as part of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’.
There was, to quote the FA’s judgment, clear evidence that Chelsea had “deliberately flouted” the system in a way that “reveals a shameful and arrogant disregard for the rules of the game, and which has done so much to bring the game of football, and the name of CFC, into disrepute”.