Chelsea could be set to receive a UEFA fine amid claims they breached the governing body's squad cost ratio rules in 2024.
Enzo Maresca's side, along with fellow Premier League club Aston Villa, could both be in trouble with UEFA, it has been claimed. After previously having issues complying with Premier League cost rules, both clubs had to off-load players in the January transfer window to meet profit and sustainability laws.
However, it isn't only the Premier League rules that English clubs must be careful of. Any side involved in a European competition must comply with UEFA rules too, something which Chelsea have reportedly failed to do.
A new UEFA report has disclosed Chelsea's drop in revenue from £513m in 2022-23 to £435m last season, a £78m decrease. The club sold their women's team in the 2023-24 season for £150m to Todd Boehly's BlueCo to offset their big losses.
A more positive financial figure is the Blues' wage bill, which has fallen from £404m to £331m across the same period. Teams in European competitions must keep their spending on players wages and fees to 80% of revenue last year. These amount to what UEFA's squad cost ratio (SCR) rules are all about, with one expert claiming Chelsea and Villa both appear to have failed to comply with the regulations.
Reece James celebrates with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Reece James celebrates with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after the former scored against Copenhagen (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Football finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider: “It looks like on the face of it as though both Aston Villa and Chelsea will fail UEFA’s squad cost control test. They will potentially fail the sustainability one as well.
“It’s not a big deal because you just get a relatively small fine. But you know the more times that you go on failing, the more there is going to be an issue.
“The first time you fail, there isn’t a big deal. You will get a small fine, but repeated failure is more of an issue.”
Aston Villa's revenue rose from £218m to a club-record high of £270m. Unfortunately, in their efforts to achieve European football, their salary outgoings also rose from £194m to a worrying £245m.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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