“Chelsea are clearly cheating”- La Liga chief brandishes major accusation against the Blues

La Liga president Javier Tebas accuses Chelsea of cheating in the transfer market

La Liga president Javier Tebas accused Chelsea of cheating in the transfer market and player contract lengths in a fiery press conference.

Chelsea spent over £300m in the January window while breaking the British transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day.

They have signed a lot of players on long contracts to amortise the transfer fee over the length of their contracts to avoid the financial fair play (FFP) regulations.

The president of the Spanish football league 'La Liga', Javier Tebas, speaks as he takes part in the forum Defense of the European Football Ecosystem, organized by La Vanguardia journal, on March 16, 2023 in Barcelona.
La Liga president Javier Tebas accuses Chelsea of cheating. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP) (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Tebas deems these tactics as clear cheating by Chelsea. Here’s what he said (h/t Daily Star):

“Chelsea are clearly cheating by signing players on eight or nine-year contracts.”

Although spending crazy money and buying umpteen players is not the right way to go in footballing terms, Chelsea have done no cheating in the process. If FFP was an issue, they have literally rectified that by elongating player contracts.

This statement seems like a distraction tactic by Tebas, who is not running a league full of clean-slated clubs. La Liga clubs have a history of manipulating rules for their sake. Recent allegations about Barcelona buying referees aren’t a good look on the league as well.

Chelsea's US owner Todd Boehly gestures as he takes his seat for the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in London on March 4, 2023.
Chelsea have cleverly worked around the FFP rules to rattle the cage of the La Liga president. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

So, instead of focusing on others’ houses, Tebas should concentrate on cleaning his house first. The dirt there is thick enough.

As for Chelsea, they may have issues with long contracts of players if things do not go to plan. For that reason, the pressure is on Graham Potter to get the right results and keep the club fighting for the elite trophies every season.

More Chelsea News:

This time around, the Blues are only alive in the Champions League. They face Real Madrid in the quarter-final repeat of last season. As crazy as it sounds, Potter’s men have a chance of going against the odds and lifting Europe’s biggest prize. This club has done it in the past too.