Exclusive: PFA could challenge Premier League’s salary cap plan after Man City contact
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) could challenge the Premier League’s plans to bring in new spending rules, sources have told Football Insider.
The Premier League is looking to impose a ‘salary cap’, with a vote set to take place over the introduction of top-to-bottom anchoring rules (TBA) at the next meeting of the 20 top-flight clubs on 21 November.
Man City and Man United are against the adoption of the new system, which would run alongside the squad cost ratio (SCR) rules.
The Times reported in January the PFA had been in contact with Man City and Man United about their plans to oppose the introduction of a spending cap.
Sources have told Football Insider the PFA could challenge the legality of the proposed rules by insisting it is effectively an indirect salary cap.
How much could Premier League clubs spend under new rules?
Premier League clubs currently operate under the profit and sustainability rules (PSR), where they are only permitted to make £105million of losses over a rolling three-year period.
Next month’s vote will decide whether the top-flight sides adopt either – or both – of the TBA and SCR models, replacing the PSR rules.
Under the TBA rules, clubs can only spend five times the amount the bottom side receives on squad-related costs, such as wages, agents’ fees and amortisation.
Finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider the spending cap for Premier League clubs would be around £600m under the proposed system.
“You’re probably looking at a cap of £600m because we’re probably up to the bottom club now getting about £120m for this current season,” said Borson.
“Now, the thing about that is clearly a £600m cap affects almost nobody because there are no clubs that are spending £600m on player wages and amortisation right now.”
Man City and Man United ‘concerned’ about spending rules
Football Insider revealed on 17 October Man City and Man United are “concerned” there are already too many financial restrictions in place ahead of next month’s vote.
It isn’t just the Premier League’s rules that clubs are currently wary of breaching, with nine top-flight sides having to comply with Uefa’s spending rules this season after qualifying for Europe.
Uefa confirmed in July both Chelsea and Aston Villa had breached its financial rules.
Chelsea were fined £26.7m and could be fined a further £51.2m if they don’t comply with the governing body’s rules in the next four years.
Meanwhile, Villa were fined £9.5m, with the potential of a further £12.9m penalty if they fail to comply in a three-year period.
The punishments related to a breach of Uefa’s football earnings regulations and its SCR rules, where clubs in European competitions were required to keep spending on player wages and fees to 80 per cent of revenue in 2024.
However, the control ratio dropped to 70 per cent in 2024-25 and will remain at that level moving forward, with Arsenal “close” to breaching Uefa’s rules following their heavy summer spending.
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