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The Digest:

UEFA has imposed substantial fines on several top European football clubs for violating financial regulations. Chelsea received a fine of €31 million ($36.5m) for breaching UEFA's financial rules, while Barcelona, Aston Villa, and Lyon were also penalized.

Key Points:
  • Chelsea: €31 million fine, with the possibility of an additional €60 million ($71m) if they fail to rectify their financial issues. Their penalty includes €20 million for failing to meet the football earnings rule and €11 million for breaching squad cost regulations.
  • Barcelona: €15 million fine, with the potential for an additional €60 million.
  • Aston Villa: €11 million fine, broken down into €5 million and €6 million for different violations.
  • Lyon: €12.5 million fine. The French club, which was relegated to Ligue 2 due to financial irregularities, must meet specific targets to avoid exclusion from European competitions.
  • All four clubs face restrictions on registering new players for UEFA competitions like the Champions League and Europa League.
Chelsea, under owner Todd Boehly, attempted to balance its finances by selling its women’s team for €235 million ($277m) to a parent company, Blueco, and selling two hotels. However, UEFA did not accept the sale of the women’s team as an asset in their financial calculations. These clubs have agreed to settlement terms spanning two to four years to become fully compliant with UEFA’s financial requirements.


Sources: Al Jazeera, Fabrizio