Aston Villa are now set to be hit with more punishment by UEFA, as for a second season in a row they will breach the UEFA Financial ‘Fair’ Pay rules.
It was announced in July 2025 that Aston Villa had been fined €6million (approximately £5.2million) for breaching the UEFA Squad Cost Ration (SCR) 80 per cent limits. Punishment due to a club’s spending on player wages, transfers and agents having been more than 80 per cent of its revenue.
Now The Times report that the Premier League club are set to be punished once again by UEFA.
The Squad Cost Ration (SCR) for clubs competing in UEFA competitions has now been reduced to 70 per cent of revenue able to be spent on player wages, transfers and agents.
This making it even more difficult for clubs such as Aston Villa (and Newcastle United…), who are outside the established richest and most powerful elite, to contend with.
The Times saying that their understanding is that Aston Villa will be found to have broken that new 70 per cent limit and that a big drop in revenues from competing in the Champions League last season to the Europa League this season, meant it was all but impossible to stay within the UEFA rules.
The UEFA punishment announced last summer was in two parts, the only good news for Aston Villa is that The Times say that they understand the club haven’t breached once again the separate UEFA ‘football earnings rule’: ‘However, it is thought Villa are not in danger of violating their settlement deal agreed with Uefa last year for breaching its separate football earnings rule that covers financial losses. That deal included a €5million fine, targets around future losses and some transfer restrictions. Breaches of the settlement can lead to more serious sanctions such as exclusion from European competition.’
The Premier League is of course also moving to a similar, but not exactly the same, Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) system of financial regulation from next season, changing from PSR.
However…this ‘change’ is all pretty much irrelevant in many ways, as the fact remains that in simple terms, those clubs currently bringing in far more revenues, will still be able to spend far more more money on transfer fees and wages, than those PL clubs currently generating far less revenues.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Plus of course, for clubs such as Aston Villa and Newcastle United who aspire to be in the Champions League/European competitions on a regular basis, they have to follow any UEFA rules as well as those of the Premier League.
The Times do report though that they understand Aston Villa won’t have breached the current Premier League PSR (Profitability and Sustainability Rules). However, that was massively down to: ‘The club being able to register as income the £55million they received for selling the women’s team to their parent company.’
Aston Villa not able to use this accountancy trick with UEFA, as they don’t allow such related party deals to be declared as revenue.