Chelsea record post-tax loss of £145.6MILLION for financial year ending in June – with the Blues making just £7.2m from matchday revenue due to impact from coronavirus pandemic
- Chelsea made a profit of £39.5m in the previous financial year, pre-pandemic
- But the club’s accounts have taken a hit, largely as a result of the impact of Covid
- Turnover increased by £29m but matchday revenue was inevitably hit hard
- Matches played without spectators saw matchday revenue decrease by £68.4m
Chelsea recorded a post-tax loss of £145.6million for the financial year ending in June as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic was felt in the accounts at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, made a profit of £39.5m in the previous financial year, before the pandemic.
Yet despite a jump in turnover for the last financial year – by £29m to £416.8m – a near-complete loss of matchday revenue contributed massively to an overall post-tax loss.
Chelsea recorded a post-tax loss of £145.6million for the financial year ending in June
The Blues, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, previously made a profit of £39.5m
Matchday revenue was just £7.2m, with the majority of matches at Stamford Bridge played behind closed doors.
For comparison, the last full campaign pre-Covid saw the club make £75.6m in matchday revenue – so the last financial year saw a loss of £68.4m.
Before the current season, just three games had any capacity at all – and that was with a limit of 2,000 last December and then 10,000 in May.
Chelsea only had three home games with limited capacities in the last financial year
A lack of fans on matchday also meant the club took a hit regarding their commercial income – the accounts show it falling by £16.1m to £136million – however there was a net increase in sponsorship revenue.
Broadcasting revenue actually increased by £91million to £273.6m, but that was due to the 2019-20 Premier League season running until late-July, alongside additional Champions League encounters.
The last financial year saw Chelsea change first-team managers, with club legend Frank Lampard replaced by Thomas Tuchel in January, who then led the club to their second Champions League title in May.