Chelsea and West Ham fined heavily: Here's why

Chelsea Football Club finds itself under scrutiny, not for transfers, finances or off‑field legal battles, but for what’s happening on the pitch.

The Blues have been hit with a series of financial penalties imposed by the Football Association (FA), largely tied to issues around discipline, conduct and control of players during matches.

The most significant fine this season came after a dramatic confrontation in Chelsea’s 3‑2 Premier League win over West Ham United on 31 January 2026, but it wasn’t the only one. Taken together, these sanctions paint a picture of a club struggling to keep discipline under control.

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On 25 February 2026, the FA announced that Chelsea would pay a £325,000 fine for failing to “ensure their players behaved in an orderly manner”, following a brawl that erupted in the 95th minute of the London derby at Stamford Bridge.

The chaos began when West Ham’s Adama Traoré shoved Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella, which triggered a reaction from Chelsea’s João Pedro and ultimately a confused fight involving nearly 20 players from both sides. The FA’s report specifically noted that players from both teams acted improperly during the incident, leading to a collective disciplinary charge.

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Chelsea’s penalty was larger than West Ham’s £300,000 fine, and there’s a reason for that: according to the FA, this represented Chelsea’s sixth breach of Rule E20 in recent years, a striking number compared with West Ham’s disciplinary record. Because the FA takes repeat breaches seriously, the larger fine reflects a pattern of concern regarding player conduct rather than a one‑off moment.

The FA also singled out 3 Chelsea players who were deemed to have incited the crowd during the disorder, contributing to the overall charge against the club, of which these players’ behaviour was a part. These players are unspecified by the FA.

The West Ham situation was the headline incident, but it isn’t the only fine Chelsea have incurred this campaign. Throughout the 2025/26 season, Chelsea have struggled with on‑field discipline, leading to additional fines tied to yellow card accumulation, red cards, and improper conduct.

Earlier in the season, in December 2025, Chelsea were fined £150,000 for a separate incident involving improper conduct during their Premier League match against Aston Villa. Incidents like repeated yellow cards leading to sanctions highlights the club’s broader disciplinary challenges.

Additionally, Chelsea players have received 9 red cards across all competitions this season, including a sending‑off for defender Wesley Fofana during their 1‑1 draw with Burnley,  a tally that further contributes to the narrative of poor discipline and frequent misconduct issues on the pitch.

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The FA’s Rule E20, which has been repeatedly invoked in these cases covers failures by a club to ensure their players, substitutes and other officials behave properly. It’s designed to give the FA authority to penalise not just individual players, but clubs as a whole for losing control of their squad.

The more frequent a club’s breaches, the heavier the fine can be which was the factor that clearly influenced the West Ham fine being higher than that of Chelsea’s opponents.

Poor on‑field behaviour costs the club in reputational terms, affects match outcomes (through suspensions), and imposes avoidable financial burdens.