Chelsea and Aston Villa ‘agree over new UEFA ban warning’ after developments
Aston Villa and Chelsea were recently given heavy sanctions by UEFA, and both need to be wary of further punishment.
Chelsea were fined £26.7million, while Aston Villa were hit with a £9.5m penalty after both clubs breached UEFA spending rules.
Villa solved their profit and sustainability (PSR) dilemma by copying Chelsea and partially selling their Women’s team, a move which has been criticised.
However, they are not out of the woods just yet, as Villa need to comply with the rules or potentially face a ban from UEFA competitions, ahead of stricter regulations coming into force.
With that, a severe new agreement has been reached.
Villa could face UEFA ban
Villa will compete in the Europa League next season and may even fancy themselves to lift the trophy, with four-time winner Unai Emery in charge.
However, while their place in the competition this season is confirmed, future qualification for competitions, including the Champions League, could be in doubt.
UEFA’s recent sanctions also included a £12.9m suspended fine, which will be activated if Villa fall foul of spending rules again.
| Team | UEFA fine | Suspended further fine |
| Aston Villa | £9.5m | £12.9m |
| Chelsea | £26.7m | £51.2m |
The Times (July 18) have now reported that Villa and Chelsea have both agreed to these suspended sanctions, with an agreement in place that if they break the rules again, they will face a one-year ban from European competition.
Chelsea’s suspended fine is set at £51.2m, while missing out on Europe would cause a lot of financial damage, as well as denying their team a chance to compete for more trophies.
Villa cannot breach spending rules again
Villa and Chelsea have also been warned about conducting swap deals with inflated fees to boost their PSR position, as has been done in the past.
Omari Kellyman and Ian Maatsen are the most recent examples of this.
Kellyman moved to Chelsea for £19m, while Maatsen arrived at Villa Park for £37.5m, but while the left-back was crucial for Emery, Kellyman has not even featured for the Blues.
UEFA’s sanctions came as the clubs had a squad-cost ratio of over 80 per cent, meaning that the vast majority of their income was paid out in wages.
While Villa have escaped with a fine for now, they will need to fix their financial issues in the long run, or risk a ban from Europe, which will only make things worse.
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