Chelsea could face disciplinary action if they are found to have broken FA and Premier League rules in settling a complaint from a former youth player compensation over alleged historical abuse.

It emerged this week that the Stamford Bridge club settled a complaint linked to their former scout Eddie Heath — now deceased — using an insurance policy with a non-disclosure agreement.

Football Association and Premier League rules state that clubs should notify them of any evidence of abuse towards ‘a child or adult at risk’. If Chelsea are found to have violated those rules, they can expect to be held to account and face a heavy fine.

Eddie Heath (circled) during his time at Chelsea. There is no suggestion any of these other people were involved

Earlier this week, FA chairman Greg Clarke said: 'If anyone has behaved improperly they will be held to account and that information will be released. If a club has behaved badly they will be held to account.’

Within the last three years, Chelsea paid a former player compensation for abuse that allegedly occurred in the 1970s, with the understanding that he would not break a confidentiality clause.

Premier League rules state: ‘The club shall notify the League and the Football Association (through the submission of the Affiliated Football Safeguarding Referral Form) of, and give the League and the Football Association such further information as they may require in respect of: S.14.1. any evidence obtained by the Club demonstrating the abuse of, or unsuitable behaviour towards, a Child or Adult at Risk (whether the evidence relates to conduct by a member of Staff in the performance of his duties as a member of Staff, or otherwise).’

Premier League side Chelsea have been drawn into football's child sex abuse scandal

Chelsea could argue that the former youth-team player was no longer ‘at risk’ when they dealt with the complaint — understood to have been made within the last three years, after Heath’s death.

On Tuesday, the club announced they had appointed external lawyers to investigate the circumstances surrounding the claim and compensation, and this will cover how it was handled and who signed off the payment as well as the need to notify the FA and Premier League.

Sportsmail has learned that a number of clubs have used insurance policies and hush money to compensate victims — and stop them from speaking out about their ordeals.

FA chairman Clarke said this week that the paying of money for gagging orders over child abuse claims was ‘morally repugnant’.

Chelsea’s safeguarding children policy and procedures document, publicly available, states: ‘The Club has in place comprehensive safeguarding procedures which meet the requirements of The FA Premier League Rules (in particular Section S, The Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups and Safe Recruitment), The FA Safeguarding Children Rules, The Children Act 1989 & 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013 & 2015 to ensure the national standards for safeguarding are met and implemented throughout the Club.’

FA chairman Greg Clarke speaks during the unveiling of the Euro 2020 tournament

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Heath was flagged for spending ‘a lot of his time in his office, decorating and cooking meals for the schoolboy players’ while at Chelsea by Sir Geoff Hurst.

Hurst, having signed on as Chelsea player-manager in 1979, sacked Heath as the club’s chief scout months later and spoke at a 1980 industrial tribunal in response to a claim that Heath had been wrongfully dismissed.

World Cup-winner Hurst told the tribunal: ‘I had two options: to reprimand him and give him a kick up the backside or terminate his employment there and then.

‘I felt the more drastic action was needed for the benefit of the club.

‘He spent a lot of his time in his office, decorating and cooking meals for the schoolboy players. He even built a partition during his time there.’

The club’s counsel, Mr Roger Evans, said: ‘Mr Hurst watched a trial match of 27 schoolboy players who had been selected by Mr Heath and was absolutely appalled by what he saw.

‘Only one or possibly two of these boys were potential material for the club.

‘The chief scout was spending his time hanging around the club premises and not out in the field. He was never north of Watford — never travelling around the country.’