Chelsea have been fined 31 million euros ($36.5m) by European football’s governing body UEFA for breaches of its financial rules, while Aston Villa, Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais were also levied with large fines.
The punishments come with the potential for far harsher fines down the road, with Chelsea, who agreed to a four-year settlement with UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), risking being hit with a further 60 million euros ($71m) if they do not get their finances in order.
Barcelona must pay a 15 million euro fine ($17.7m), but could potentially face 60 million in total, with UEFA fining Lyon 12.5 million and Aston Villa 11 million.
Chelsea’s fines were split into 20 million for not complying with the football earnings rule and 11 million for breaching the squad cost rule, while Aston Villa were fined five million and six million for their respective rule violations.
The clubs are also subject to a restriction on the registration of new players on their List A for UEFA club competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League.
Lyon’s four-year agreement with UEFA’s financial control body, the club’s ownership group said on Friday, would enable them to play in the Europa League next season, subject to a favourable outcome of their appeal with the DNCG, the French football financial watchdog.
Lyon’s demotion to Ligue 2 was provisionally announced by the DNCG in November due to financial irregularities and was confirmed last week.
They risk exclusion from European competitions, however, if they fail to meet the agreed targets.
The teams accepted settlement agreements which cover periods of two, three or four years, with the clubs’ final targets to be fully compliant with the football earnings rule by the end of their specific settlement period.
Chelsea sold their women’s team for 235 million euros ($277m) to a parent company, Blueco, which helped to balance their spending and avoid huge losses, despite their lavish spending in the transfer market under owner Todd Boehly. UEFA, however, refused to count the sale of the team as an asset.
The club also sold two hotels to a sister company in a deal that appears to have helped the club remain compliant with profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
Premier League clubs are not permitted to have losses of more than 105 million pounds ($143.29m) over a three-year period.
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