Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Forest punished by UEFA over financial rule breaches | OneFootball

UEFA has sanctioned four Premier League clubs after breaching the governing body’s financial sustainability regulations.

Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest will be punished under the Squad Cost Rule.

UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) confirmed the decisions on Tuesday as it finalised its monitoring process for the 2025/26 season.

The body imposed financial penalties on clubs across Europe that exceeded the permitted squad cost ratio of 70 percent during the 2025 calendar year.

Aston Villa received the heaviest punishment among the English clubs, being fined €22.5 million (£19.3m), of which €15m (£12.9m) has been suspended.

Villa have also been hit with restrictions on registering new players for UEFA competitions next season because of what UEFA described as a significant breach.

Chelsea were fined €3m (£2.5m), with €2m (£1.7m) suspended after UEFA acknowledged that the Blues had improved their squad cost ratio between 2024 and 2025.

Newcastle United were handed an unconditional €3m (£2.5m) fine for breaching the squad cost rule.

The Magpies were also separately sanctioned under UEFA’s Football Earnings Rule, agreeing to a three-year settlement that includes a total €10m fine, €7m of which is conditional.

They will work towards full compliance by the 2028/29 season.

Nottingham Forest were fined €2.5m (£2.1m) after also exceeding the 70% threshold.

UEFA calculates the squad cost ratio by measuring the percentage of a club’s revenue spent on wages, transfer amortisation and agents’ fees.

Clubs that exceed the limit face financial penalties and, in more serious cases, restrictions on registering players for European competition.

For Aston Villa, the sanctions underline the financial balancing act required after several ambitious transfer windows and sustained investment under Unai Emery.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have once again escaped with what many will view as a relatively light consequence considering their extraordinary spending since the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly takeover.

UEFA acknowledged the club’s improving financial trend, but another breach reinforces the scale of the challenge created by years of aggressive recruitment.

Newcastle’s settlement agreement also places the club under monitoring, meaning future transfer business is likely to remain closely tied to financial sustainability targets.

The news will frustrate Newcastle fans, as they have high expectations under their Saudi-backed ownership.