UEFA has fined Aston Villa, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle for breaches of its financial sustainability rules. Villa face the hardest hit, with a €22.5m fine and a Champions League registration restriction for next season's campaign. Newcastle are also dealing with two separate penalties, including an extra charge for breaking the 70% squad cost ratio target.
Aston Villa's sporting penalty
The most awkward part for Villa is the football side of it. UEFA's sanction includes a restriction on the registration of new players for next season's Champions League campaign, which turns this from a cash penalty into something that could affect squad planning.
The numbers on the fine are heavy too. Villa have been fined €22.5m, with €15m suspended pending continued compliance over a three-year period that began with an initial fine in July last year. On the pitch, they finished 4th in the Premier League, so the punishment lands on a club that was back among the top four and in strong form, with five straight wins in their last five listed results.
Newcastle's two separate penalties
Newcastle's case is split between the original settlement and the squad cost ratio breach. The club said it had entered into a settlement agreement with UEFA after an overspend in relation to UEFA's Football Earnings threshold in the three-year period ending June 2025.
In its statement, Newcastle said: "Following an overspend in relation to UEFA’s Football Earnings threshold, the club has worked closely and constructively with the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) to swiftly resolve the matter."
The club added that it had accepted a three-year settlement, including a €3m financial penalty with a further €7m suspended pending future compliance. UEFA has also determined that Newcastle will pay a further €3m for breaching UEFA's 70% Squad Cost Ratio target in calendar year 2025.
That means Newcastle are not just facing a fine, but a layered sanction tied to two separate financial rules. They finished 12th in the Premier League, and their last five league results were LWDWL, which gives the punishment a different backdrop from Villa's Champions League issue.
Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are less heavily hit than Villa, but they are still in the same disciplinary frame. Chelsea have been fined €3m, with €2m suspended. Nottingham Forest must pay €2.5m. UEFA has made a point of landing sanctions across four clubs at once, and the scale ranges from Villa's sporting restriction to the smaller fines handed to Chelsea and Forest.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →