Clubs, including Chelsea, Aston Villa, and several other European powerhouses, have been penalized financially by UEFA due to infractions related to financial regulations.
UEFA Imposes Fines and Restrictions on Five Clubs for Financial Fair Play Breaches
UEFA has imposed significant fines and restrictions on Chelsea, Aston Villa, FC Barcelona, Olympique Lyonnais, and FC Porto for breaching football earnings rules related to financial fair play, covering the 2023/24 season and financial years ending in 2023 and 2024.
### Chelsea
The English champions have been fined £26.5 million, with an additional potential penalty of up to £60 million suspended over a monitoring period of up to four years, totalling £86.5 million in potential fines. The breaches concerned the football earnings rule and squad cost control charges, amounting to £17.2 million for earnings rule breaches and £9.5 million for squad cost control. Strict recruitment rules apply, with any new players registered for European competitions needing to ensure a net positive transfer balance for at least two full seasons.
### Aston Villa
The English club has been fined £9.5 million immediately, with an additional potential fine of up to £15 million suspended, depending on compliance during the monitoring period. Aston Villa will also need to pay €6 million for the squad cost control charge. The club faces strict control of expenses and player registrations for European competitions, similar to Chelsea.
### FC Barcelona
The Spanish giants have been fined €15 million immediately, with an additional €45 million in fines conditioned on compliance over two years. If Barcelona exceeds financial targets in 2025 or the final targets, they will owe 22.5 million euros each time, with fines proportionally calculated if deviations are under €20 million; these can be doubled if reporting is inadequate. The fines relate to breaches of income recognition, such as improper accounting for asset sales and player swaps between linked clubs.
### Olympique Lyonnais
The French club is currently under UEFA monitoring, with the risk of exclusion from European competitions if financial measures are not respected. Already facing administrative relegation to Ligue 2 on appeal, these sanctions reinforce financial discipline. The specific fine amount for Lyon has not been detailed.
### FC Porto
The Portuguese club has been fined by UEFA for breaching football earnings rules, but the specific fine amount and terms were not detailed in the search results. The club has been included among those failing to comply with football earnings rules, preventing certain transactions from being counted as income.
These sanctions represent UEFA’s strict enforcement of financial fairness, with fines, conditional penalties, and restrictions designed to curb excessive spending and ensure financial sustainability among top European clubs. All five clubs have agreed to settlement agreements with the CFCB, and the CFCB is monitoring other clubs under settlement regimes in the 2024/25 season.
[1] UEFA.com, "UEFA fines Chelsea €80m for breaching Financial Fair Play rules", 18 May 2023,
- The Premier League champions, Chelsea, face potential fines totaling £86.5 million due to financial fair play breaches, with restrictions on new player transfers.
- Aston Villa has been fined £9.5 million immediately by UEFA, and an additional £15 million suspended, for spending violations and squad cost control charges, also subjecting the club to stricter control of expenses and player registrations.
- FC Barcelona has been fined €15 million immediately and faces additional fines of up to €45 million over two years, due to improper accounting for asset sales and player swaps between linked clubs.
- Olympique Lyonnais is under UEFA monitoring, risking exclusion from European competitions if financial measures are not respected, and FC Porto has been fined by UEFA for breaching financial fair play rules, but the specific fine amount and terms remain undisclosed.