A veritable chestnut tree at the start of each season, Financial Fair Play rarely leads to major penalties, but does disturb the European clubs concerned. In France, Olympique de Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain have often found themselves in the sights of UEFA and this time will not fail again. Exceeding the 30 million euros deficit authorized over three financial years, PSG and OM are contesting this decision and relying on the stoppage of Ligue 1 during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Mediapro television fiasco. .
Having the possibility of contesting this decision before the Financial Control Body for clubs, or even the Court of Arbitration for Sport, OM and PSG are very likely to accept the sanctions of the body which manages European football. According The Times, the two French clubs should be sanctioned with a fine which were defined after negotiations. A situation similar to that of AS Roma and Inter Milan, which should also undergo transfer restrictions.
Barcelona and Juventus pinned, Arsenal monitored
Also part of the ten clubs that will be sanctioned, Juventus and FC Barcelona are also among the pillars of the Super League with Real Madrid (which is not affected by the sanctions). Having icy relations with UEFA, the Vecchia Signora and the Blaugranas should expose themselves to fairly severe sanctions with fines, transfer restrictions, but also the possibility of being banned from playing in European competitions. If we are still far from this disaster situation, the two clubs have nevertheless refused to start negotiations with UEFA on possible sanctions.
Active in the transfer window this summer with the purchases of Gabriel Jesus, Matt Turner, Oleskandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos, Arsenal have so far spent 132 million euros on the transfer market. With more than 252 million euros in losses over the past three years, UEFA has taken custody of Arsenal, which has recorded one of the biggest losses in the Premier League according to the English media. As one of 20 European clubs on UEFA’s watch list for the 2021/2022 financial year, the Gunners have just been alerted by the body and have not yet received a warning from UEFA.
This wave of sanctions will also be the last to take place on the first version of Financial Fair Play. Benefiting from a recent overhaul, this system will make its rules more flexible. Clubs will now be limited to a spending percentage of their income in a calendar year and this will relate to transfers, wages and agent fees. For the first year of the new Financial Fair Play, clubs will be limited to 90%, then 80% for 2024 and 70% from 2025.
