Beyond the earnings rule, the CFCB found widespread issues regarding the "squad cost rule," which limits spending to 70% of a club’s revenue. Four English clubs - Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest - were all found to have exceeded this limit during the 2025 calendar year. The sanctions vary based on the severity of the breach and current financial trends at each institution.
The CFCB First Chamber found that Aston Villa FC (ENG), Chelsea FC (ENG), Newcastle United FC (ENG), Nottingham Forest FC (ENG), OGC Nice (FRA), RC Strasbourg (FRA), AEK Athens (GRE), ACF Fiorentina (ITA) and Fenerbahce SK (TUR) breached the squad cost rule by reporting a squad cost ratio above 70% for the 2025 calendar year. As a result, each club was imposed a fine calculated in proportion to the percentage points above the defined limit and the size of the club’s squad cost excess.