‘Aston Villa and Chelsea set for sanctions after breaching rules – I’ve been doing some research’
Aston Villa and Chelsea are set to learn the extent of their punishment for breaking UEFA financial rules imminently.
It comes just days after Villa sold their women’s side to avoid breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Chelsea previously made the exact same move in order to skirt around the financial regulations for the 2023/24 season.
However, with UEFA rules disregarding these types of intra-group sales, the Premier League duo are now facing sanctions.
Aston Villa’s former chief Keith Wyness– who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – has revealed the severity of the penalty that the pair are likely to face.
‘UEFA want to keep the peace,’ says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Villa and Chelsea will be hit by a small fine rather than “anything dramatic”.
In the past, the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United have been given financial penalties of under £500,000 for breaching similar rules.
Wyness added that UEFA must show some consistency with the punishments they are handing out.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I’ve been vacillating up and down on what the punishment is going to be. When I do more research on what UEFA have done in the past, there’s nothing exactly like it, but in situations similar to this, it comes out to be a small fine rather than anything dramatic.
“I had thought at one stage it would have been second warning, third warning, and they’re going to get bigger and bigger. If that was the case, then Villa could be on their second warning. But it still seems that UEFA are going to play softly on this.
“I think you could be looking at a fine as low as £500,000, maybe up to £1m, which really doesn’t hurt. It all depends on the politics within UEFA and how they view things at the moment, rather than actually baring their teeth and making any sanctions.
“They’ve tried to take on Man City before, so if they’re going to take on Chelsea, there’s that sort of thought in the back of UEFA’s mind. Plus, they’ve got to be seen to be consistent in what they’ve done.
“In a much more egregious situation like Barcelona’s, a small fine was the ultimate result. So I think UEFA want to try and keep the peace, but if they’re going to have rules, at some stage they’re going to have to enforce them.
“I don’t expect too much news this week other than a small fine, possibly a suspended warning that, if it happens again, there’ll be a suspension of games or something in Europe. Overall, I don’t think UEFA are going to show its teeth this week.”
Chelsea to sell two wingers
Meanwhile, Chelsea are ready to accept bids for two of their current wingers this summer, sources have told Football Insider.
Both Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke could leave the club after the Blues agreed a deal worth £55million with Borussia Dortmund for Jamie Gittens.
Sources say that Sterling doesn’t have a long-term future at Stamford Bridge, despite the fact that Arsenal decided against a permanent signing following his loan spell in North London.
Madueke has done well for Enzo Maresca in recent times but Chelsea are willing to sell him now, with clubs at home and abroad monitoring the situation.
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