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Chelsea's case, resulting in a £10 million fine, cannot be compared to the accusations against Manchester City, as the London club self-reported breaches under a former owner and cooperated with the investigation.

Many Manchester City fans are questioning why Chelsea seemed to escape punishment with just a £10 million fine after admitting to 74 breaches, while the Citizens face the threat of severe sanctions. However, there are fundamental differences between the two cases.

What are the main differences between Chelsea and Manchester City's cases?

Nature of the breaches and cooperation with authorities: The infractions committed by Chelsea involved historical payments from the tenure of former owner Roman Abramovich between 2012 and 2019. When the new ownership, led by Todd Boehly and the BlueCo consortium, discovered financial discrepancies, the club took it upon themselves to report these issues, admitted guilt, submitted all relevant documentation, and fully cooperated with the authorities.

Lack of impact on loss limits: Investigations revealed that undisclosed payments to agents and during transfers would not have exceeded the Premier League's official loss limits, even if they had been reported in a timely manner.

Scale of accusations against Manchester City: The investigation into City began following the Football Leaks data leak. Initially faced with 115 allegations, this number later grew to 130. In stark contrast to Chelsea, Manchester City has vehemently denied all wrongdoing and contested the evidence presented against them.

Nature of the infringements: In City's case, an independent commission found them guilty of providing inaccurate financial information and concealing revenue through "fake" contracts worth hundreds of millions tied to organisations in Abu Dhabi, as well as failing to cooperate with the investigation.

Change in leadership: The breaches committed by Chelsea occurred under a previous owner who had already left the club by the time problems were identified. Conversely, Manchester City faced allegations during the tenure of their current owners. It is this full cooperation with the investigation, self-reporting, and absence of malicious intent that allowed Chelsea to settle for a substantial monetary fine.