Aston Villa are one of four Premier League clubs fined by UEFA for breaching spending regulations. Villa have been hit with a €22.5 million punishment, of which €15 million has been suspended. Chelsea have been fined €3 million (€2 million suspended), Nottingham Forest €2.5 million, and Newcastle €3 million.
UEFA Statement on Fines
The news was announced in a UEFA statement which read: "Regarding Aston Villa FC and Chelsea FC, which had already been sanctioned in the previous season, the CFCB First Chamber took into consideration the improving trend in their squad cost ratio between 2024 and 2025 in line with projections submitted as part of their settlement agreement. As a result, part of the fine is conditional upon the clubs continuing to significantly decrease their squad cost ratio in 2026."
What is the Squad Cost Ratio System?
It is a set of financial rules that restricts how much clubs can spend on footballing matters such as amortised transfer and agents fees and wages. The Premier League limit is 85 per cent, while UEFA's is 70 per cent. Unlike Financial Fair Play (FFP) or Profitability & Sustainability Rules (PSR), which focused on controlling losses (clubs could lose £105m over three years in the Premier League), the SCR is based on percentage of revenue. If Club A generates £100m in revenue, they could spend £70m in UEFA competitions; if Club B generates £50m, they are only allowed £35m. Premier League clubs playing in Europe must comply with UEFA's 70 per cent threshold.
Why Have Villa Been Fined?
Villa breached UEFA's 70 per cent threshold for 2025. They have been fined £19.4 million but £12.9 million is suspended because they are moving in the right direction, making it effectively a £7.5 million sanction. Villa will also face a restriction on registering new players for next season's Champions League, with UEFA expected to confirm details imminently.
Previous Sanctions
Last year, Villa were fined £9.5 million with a further £12.9 million suspended conditional on compliance over three years. At that time, the threshold was 80 per cent of revenue, since reduced. Villa have shown improvements, including the lowest gross transfer outlay in the Premier League last summer. The pressure to generate revenue will not go away this summer.
