Aston Villa's Damian Vidagany Criticises Financial Fair Play as Unfair
Aston Villa's director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, has openly criticised the financial fair play regulations that he believes are holding the club back, while simultaneously expressing confidence in Villa's ability to overcome these challenges. Vidagany pointed out that the current rules unfairly advantage clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City, who benefited from more lenient regulations during ownership changes, allowing them to spend more freely compared to Villa.
Financial Constraints on Villa's Growth
Villa, who returned to the Premier League in 2019 after promotion from the Championship, are still playing catch-up in terms of revenue growth. The club's owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, have invested significant sums to maintain competitiveness, but their spending is heavily restricted by the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and UEFA's Squad Cost Rules (SCR).
Next season, the Premier League will adopt a model similar to UEFA's, which limits club spending to a set percentage of their revenue. For Aston Villa, this limit will be 70%, as they are set to compete in European competitions for a fourth consecutive season. Despite missing out on Champions League qualification this year, Villa are targeting success in the Europa League and are close to securing a top-five finish in the league, which would guarantee a return to the Champions League next term.
Vidagany's Perspective on Financial Controls
In his remarks, Vidagany clarified that he is not opposed to financial controls in principle, acknowledging their role in preventing club bankruptcies. He cited examples from Spain where clubs faced severe financial troubles after owners departed. However, he argued that using revenue as the sole metric for spending capacity is flawed.
"Where I agree, it is that the revenue itself cannot be the main and crucial key to calculate the potential or capacity of a club. There are multiple factors which should be taken into account," Vidagany explained. He compared the flat percentage spending rule to imposing the same tax rate on all citizens regardless of income, deeming it unfair.
Villa's Resilience and Future Plans
Despite these financial constraints, Vidagany emphasised that Aston Villa is not slowing down in its growth. He highlighted the club's progress over the past three and a half years, including infrastructure developments such as the new Warehouse facility and stadium improvements, with plans for a new stand underway.
"So financial fair play is a difficult thing; it is not made for the teams who we aim to be at the top. Times have changed. City, Chelsea, big clubs passed through a moment without financial fair play restrictions, but even with it we are going to make it. We must be ready to overcome any difficulty," Vidagany stated, underscoring the club's determination to succeed against the odds.
