Stefan Borson: This is how much Aston Villa will be fined after breaching financial rules
Aston Villa could face a fine worth more than £8million if they are found to have breached Uefa’s financial rules.
That is according to former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider it was anticipated Unai Emery’s side would fail to comply with the governing body’s rules following their previous breach.
Villa were fined around £5.2m by Uefa last July, with the warning the penalty could increase if they failed to comply again within a three-year period.
The punishment related to a breach of Uefa’s squad cost ratio, 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 2025 and will remain at that level moving forward.
Why Aston Villa are facing increased fine after Uefa breach
The Times reported on 13 February Villa are expected to have breached Uefa’s squad cost rules again in 2025.
Deloitte’s 2026 Money League revealed the West Midlands giants’ revenue increased to £378m last season, but their £268m wage bill accounted for 71 per cent of their turnover.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson discussed Villa’s situation with Uefa.
“The first thing to say is it’s not yet confirmed,” said Borson.
“It’s a story in The Times. We won’t know actually until June when they tell you the teams that have failed the squad cost ratio, the Uefa one, which runs to the end of the calendar year.
“It ran to 31 December, which is why people are now saying that they have failed because it runs for the whole of 2025, which is unlike the Premier League squad cost ratio, which is going to run for the season. So, we’ll find out in June whether they have breached.
“This would be the second breach, which means that the tiering of the fines goes up. It’s a higher percentage, but obviously it depends on how far they breach by.”
How Aston Villa will be impacted by Uefa fine
Borson revealed Villa are likely to receive a fine worth between €5-10m (£4.4-8.7m) if they have breached Uefa’s rules again.
“This year, the cap was 70 per cent rather than 80 per cent, which it’s been previously,” said Borson.
“It was probably always anticipated that they would breach 70 per cent on the squad cost ratio. They won’t be alone. There will be other teams that will breach, although they may be the first team to have breached twice.
“I would think the fine is likely to be between €5-10m. So, how much will that impact them? Well, look, Aston Villa have a lot of challenges anyway from a budgeting perspective, and this will be just another thing into the mix.
“The fines tend not to be counted within the calculation of the breaches themselves, so that in itself is not going to impact them.”
Villa are currently on course to qualify for the Champions League this season, with Emery’s side sitting third in the Premier League table.
To read more about the ongoing situation with Uefa, head over to Villa News.