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Abramovich sold the club last year to an
investment group led by American businessman Todd Boehly and
Clearlake Capital after the Russian oligarch's assets in Britain
were frozen by the UK government following his country's
invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military
operation".
Chelsea's new owners self-reported a number of financial
transactions during the Abramovich era to European soccer's
governing body UEFA, the Premier League and the FA.
"We have been pretty open about the historic issues with regard
to Chelsea because they self-reported to the Premier League and
to the FA so it is obvious we are looking into that," Masters
told the newspaper.
"If the Premier League believes a club has breached the
financial regulations and there is a case to answer, that case
will be put to the club."
The Times reported that the inquiry encompasses
multi-million-pound payments to undisclosed offshore entities,
with connections to football intermediaries, potentially
resulting in penalties such as a substantial fine or even a
points deduction for the club.
"We want due process to be served in as efficient a way as
possible, as quickly as possible," Masters added.
"It is not always easy to do these things quickly but we want
the right answer, positive or negative, whether clubs are found
guilty of breaching rules or not."
UEFA reached a settlement in July with Chelsea over the
submission of incomplete financial information, related to
"historical transactions" between 2012-19, with the London club
paying a fine of 10 million euros ($10.98 million).
Chelsea, who finished 12th in the Premier League following a
chaotic campaign, will not be competing in Europe in 2023-24.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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