Chelsea's £93,000 payment from Vivid Seats raises questions amid Premier League ticketing concerns

received a £93,000 payment from Vivid Seats, an unauthorised ticket resale site part-owned by chairman Todd Boehly. The US-based company, which the Premier League has been asked to investigate, made the transaction last year as per Chelsea's financial accounts.

The reason for the payment remains unclear, although it's worth noting that the firm sponsored 2023 pre-season tour.

The penned a letter to Premier League chief Richard Masters last month, requesting an investigation into potential conflicts of interest.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

holds roughly a 41% stake in Vivid Seats, while Chelsea's official website categorises tickets bought from such platforms as "illegal sales", granting the club the authority to deny entry.

Ticket prices on the Vivid Seats website for Chelsea's final home Premier League match of the season on May 18 range from £439 for general admission to over £3,000 for hospitality in the Harris Suite at Stamford Bridge, as per .

Moreover, the website, which is not legally accessible in the UK, lists tickets for Liverpool's final fixture at Anfield at a staggering £6,333 - a match where they are likely to lift the Premier League trophy.

A Chelsea Supporters Trust spokesperson voiced their concerns after reaching out to Masters last month, saying: "Not only does this undermine the efforts of Chelsea FC, the Premier League, and the Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting, but Vivid Seats contravenes the Chelsea FC ticketing policy, and is explicitly named by the Premier League as a known unauthorised ticket website.

"We believe that now is the time for the Premier League to act swiftly and ensure that a major shareowner of a Premier League club ceases facilitating the sale of tickets for significantly above face value."

In another element of Chelsea's financial operations, the club's accounts revealed that the women's team has been transferred to parent company BlueCo for £198.7million, a strategic move intended to keep the club compliant with Profit Sustainability Regulations.

However, this transaction is still pending a fair market value assessment by the and won't be included in UEFA's financial calculations. Discussions have already been initiated between the club and regarding what is anticipated to be a financial sanction, along with possible limits imposed on Chelsea's expenditure in the future.