Former Chelsea executive Christian Purslow has said the fine and suspended transfer ban they received for breaking Premier League rules was "way too generous" and "lenient."
Purslow, who has also held positions at Liverpool and Aston Villa but was in charge of commercial activities at Chelsea from 2014-2017, said he "had nothing to do with the playing side."
On Monday, Chelsea were handed a suspended one-year transfer ban and fined £10.75 million ($14m) in relation to historical breaches of Premier League rules.
The London club also avoided a points deduction after admitting to breaching Premier League rules in relation to more than £47m ($62m) of undisclosed payments made under the ownership of Abramovich.
The Premier League found that between 2011 and 2018 undisclosed payments by third parties associated with the club were made to players, unregistered agents and other third parties.
Purslow said he thought the club got off lightly.
"The level of mitigation that has been applied here is way too generous, and in my opinion very inconsistent with previous regulatory cases and sanctions," he said on The Football Boardroom Podcast.
"This is essentially a litany of offences related to how you conduct transfer business, so a transfer ban makes sense. But to see that ban suspended in full, again, seems extremely lenient.
"That must really rankle with clubs like Everton and [Nottingham] Forest who I don't think have had much credit in the past where they have co-operated.
"I think this is the most serious thing to break in the Premier League for a long time."
