UEFA’s financial regulations have once again hit the pockets of some of the continent’s premiere teams, this time three from the Premier League
Chelsea, Aston Villa and Newcastle United have been fined by UEFA after breaching its financial rules.
The trio of Premier League clubs filed their financial statements to UEFA recently in order to comply with the organisation’s squad cost ratio (SCR) rules. This is Newcastle’s first offence, while this is the second consecutive year both Chelsea and Villa have been fined by UEFA.
Newcastle was fined £5.2m (€6m), while Villa have overspent its SCR cap and has been fined £19.3m (€22.5m). Chelsea was hit with a £2.5m (€3m) fine with £1.7m (€2m) suspended due to reducing its SCR cap overspend.
Newcastle
Newcastle were found to have broken SCR and UEFA’s football earnings rule for the three-year financial statement ending 30 June 2025.
A club statement revealed it overspent the 70% SCR cap threshold and has been hit with a €7m suspended fine for future compliance.
“Newcastle United has entered into a settlement agreement with UEFA following a breach of its financial sustainability regulations in the three-year period ending June 2025,” read the club statement.
“Following an overspend in relation to UEFA’s football earnings threshold, the club has worked closely and constructively with the club financial control body to swiftly resolve the matter.
UEFA has a 70% cap on squad costs for UEFA club competition competing teams. SCR includes salaries for players and staff, as well as signing-on fees and performance bonuses. Transfer amortisation of transfer fees for players is also included, which is capped at a maximum of five years. Agents’ fees are also included.
Newcastle broke the football earnings rule as the sale and leaseback of St James’ Park to a third-party company called PZ Holdings, owned by the same ownership group, was not approved by UEFA.
This is not applicable under UEFA regulations as it does not apply to the €60m in total losses across a three-year period, unlike the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Newcastle qualified for the 2023/24 Champions League for the first time in 20 years. During the three-year period ending in June 2025, the club had a net spend on player transfers of -€175m, -€105m in 2023/24, and +€21.35m in 2024/25, according to Transfermarkt.
Newcastle United revenue breakdown (2022‑2025): Broadcast, commercial, matchday and profit & loss before tax.
More recently, Newcastle have sold some of their better players for significant transfer figures, including Alexander Isak’s €145m move to Liverpool and Anthony Gordon’s €80m transfer to FC Barcelona.
Midfielders Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali are also being linked with transfers away from the club this summer.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s fine comes after overspending the 70% SCR threshold despite significantly reducing its spend on players over the last two years.
The SCR threshold dropped from 80% to 70% in 2025, which required clubs like Villa to financially curb some of its squad cost spending to meet the new threshold. Villa attempted to do this by reducing its wage-to-revenue ratio but was ultimately still above the 70% cap.
Villa’s new €22.5m fine is split; €7.5m to be paid immediately upfront, while €15m remains suspended for future financial compliance neglect. The club was afforded some leniency by UEFA after demonstrating a positive financial outlook.
The current Europa League winners were fined by UEFA last year with an €11m fine after its financial statement ending June 2024 showed it had overspent on squad costs above the previous 80% cap.
Chelsea
Similar to Villa, Chelsea overspent on the 70% SCR cap but was fined significantly less than the other two Premier League clubs due to several factors.
Chelsea also demonstrated a compliant outlook to its future spending after previously being hit with a €31m fine the year before. The club had spent less on squad costs while also accumulating funds from player sales and reduced wages.
Looking more so into the future, as Chelsea finished 10th in the 2025/26 season, it will not be competing in UEFA club competitions as its SCR cap will be set at 80%, enabling greater squad cost flexibility.
Furthermore, the club earned $115m from winning the revamped 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, earned £17m in compensation as former Head Coach Enzo Maresca joined Manchester City recently, as well as earning up to €60m from the sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.
