Aston Villa chief Damian Vidagany has criticised the financial controls restricting Aston Villa, but says the club are ready to continue upsetting the odds
Aston Villa's director of football operations, Damian Vidagany
Aston Villa's director of football operations, Damian Vidagany(Image: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock)
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Damian Vidagany insists that financial rules holding Aston Villa back are unfair, but claims they will not stop the club’s growth on or off the pitch.
It is well documented that Villa cannot spend like the Premier League’s six biggest commercial clubs, as financial regulations limit spending in relation to club revenue.
Villa, who climbed out of the Championship in 2019, continue to play catch-up in terms of revenue growth compared with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, both of whom benefited from more lenient financial regulations following changes in ownership.
Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have invested significant sums to keep Villa as competitive as possible on the pitch, although spending has been 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 similar model to UEFA, which stipulates that clubs can only spend a set percentage of their revenue. Villa’s limit will be 70 per cent, as they are set to compete in Europe for a fourth successive season.
After missing out on Champions League qualification this season, Villa are targeting Europa League success, while they are also closing in on a top-five finish in the league, which would secure a return to UEFA’s elite club competition next term.
Despite these constraints, Vidagany insists the club will continue to develop.
“I am not really against a general financial control, to avoid bankruptcies at clubs. In Spain, we had examples of clubs who spent a lot, but when the owners left, the club went into bankruptcy and the club never recovered,” Vidagany explained.
“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.
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“For me, I always say that to have a flat percentage of a squad cost is something unfair. It is like putting the same flat rate of taxes to every single citizen not dependent on the income of the citizen.
“There is a lot to work on that, but in the meantime, we know we need to struggle and squeeze our minds to be compliant with financial fair play. As hard as it was, I would say that even with difficulty, this club is not stopping growing. Not stopping growing on the pitch or off the pitch.
“I was thinking that when we came three and a half years ago, and now it seems like a very fast journey together even with these constrictions and restrictions of financial fair play. There was no Warehouse, we have a much better stadium, and we are planning a new stand too.
“We are here with the owners, and the moment of being in the Champions League was absolutely difficult to think of when we were close to the Conference League for the first time.
“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.”
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