Qudus SalihuAston Villa ‘breach financial rules’ as huge punishment details laid out
Aston Villa are spending significantly on player wages and transfers compared to revenue generated by the club and appear set to fall foul of financial regulations
Aston Villa are said to be facing a multi-million-pound fine for breaching Uefa’s squad cost ratio (SCR) rules during their first season in the Champions League.
It would be the second financial penalty from the governing body of football in Europe in recent months after receiving a £50,670 (€60,000) fine in September for allegedly submitting their financial information for last season late. Villa, however, did have a squad cost ratio below the limit during their Europa Conference League campaign, thus avoiding any sanctions for exceeding that.
SCR rules apply to all clubs competing in European competitions and limit how much revenue they can spend on player costs from transfers (including agent fees) and wages. For the 2023/24 season, it was 90 per cent.
But that limit dropped to 80 per cent for this season and will again fall to 70 per cent ahead of the coming campaign. This year’s Deloitte Football Money League , released in January, states Villa’s wages-to-revenue ratio was 96 per cent last year, up from 94 per cent in 2023.
The Times is now reporting that there is an expectation Villa will breach SCR rules for 2024. They claim a fine of ‘several million pounds’ is the likeliest outcome of breaching these regulations.
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Similar rules will seemingly come into force for all Premier League clubs in the future. Before the league postponed their implementation for another year, Villa reportedly wrote to their fellow teams trying to raise a planned 85 per cent limit to 90 per cent, with their wages-to-revenue ratio said to be among the top-flight’s highest.
The move is said to have not garnered much support from the other 20 teams. Previous reports that Villa tried and failed to raise the maximum annual loss permitted by Premier League profitability and sustainability rules by £30million from the existing £105m to £135m are also reiterated by the publication.
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Qudus Salihu