Why Have Chelsea and Barcelona Been Fined by UEFA? | OneFootball

Many will question whether football’s governing bodies are doing enough to limit the ever-widening economic inequalities, which have dictated success in contemporary times.

Those who rule simply want more. More of everything. More games equals more money, with the concept of ’player burnout’ reduced to irrelevancy for the sake of improved finances.

The revamped Club World Cup has undeniably been a success in parts, but cynics will query whether Gianni Infantino’s desire to globalise the game will actually facilitate greater imbalances across the world, with European football already threatening to veer into a closed shop.

The need for superior financial control is distinct, but there are measures in place. The Premier League, for example, has profit and sustainability rules (PSR), while UEFA have a bunch of Financial Fair Play regulations wo which its members must adhere.

And a couple of Europe’s big boys have gotten themselves into a bit of trouble. The Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) have announced that 12 clubs have received fines for breaking UEFA’s financial rules, including two from the Premier League. Here’s why those clubs have been punished.

Why Have UEFA Fined Some of Europe’s Biggest Clubs?

Aston Villa and Chelsea are the two Premier League clubs to have been fined. / IMAGO/Visionhaus

The free-spending Chelsea have been hit the hardest by UEFA’s fines, with the Blues forced to pay €31 million ($36.5 million)—a record sum for a European club penalised in a single season. However, that fine could rise to as much as €91 million ($107.2 million) if they don’t meet the requisite financial targets over the next four years.

While the Premier League were fine with the Blues selling the Millennium and Copthorne hotels (located outside of Stamford Bridge) from one subsidiary of Chelsea's holding company to another subsidiary in June 2023, meaning they were compliant with PSR, the controversial deal broke UEFA’s financial monitoring rules. That set them back €20 million ($23.6 million).

They’ve also been fined €11 million ($12.9 million) for breaking squad cost rules. UEFA stipulate that clubs can spend a maximum of 80% of their revenue on transfers and player costs, but Chelsea have exceeded that threshold.

Aston Villa have also been punished for that reason, but they’ve only been fined €6 million, suggesting that the Villans didn’t break beyond that boundary to the extent that Chelsea did. Like the Blues, Villa must also meet the financial targets asked of them by UEFA over the next four years; otherwise, they could be fined €26 million ($30.6 million).

The West Midlanders were also fined €5 million ($5.9 million) for breaking football earnings rules.

Barcelona’s monetary issues have been well-documented over the past decade, with Joan Laporta pulling as many financial levers as possible to ensure the grand Catalonian club not only stays afloat but remains competitive in the Spanish and continental spheres.

They enjoyed remarkable success on the pitch last season, but they continue to be plagued by off-field mismanagement and a ludicrously high wage bill. Barça have been fined €15 million ($17.7 million) for making excessive losses after UEFA ran the rule over their 2024 accounts.

Lyon (€12.5 million, $14.7 million), Roma (€3 million, $3.5 million), Porto (€0.75 million, $0.88 million), Hajduk Split (€0.3 million, $0.4 million), Beşiktaş (€0.9 million, $1.1 million) and Panathinaikos (€0.4 million, $0.5 million) are among the other fined clubs.