UEFA sanctions 14 clubs over financial rule breaches
UEFA has sanctioned 14 clubs over financial sustainability breaches, with Juventus, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and RC Strasbourg facing the largest financial and sporting consequences.
UEFA has imposed disciplinary measures on 14 clubs following its financial monitoring of the 2025/26 season, creating new cost and squad-registration risks for several leading European teams.The Club Financial Control Body found breaches covering football earnings, squad costs and incomplete financial reporting. Juventus and Newcastle United have entered three-year settlement agreements after failing UEFA’s football earnings rule.Juventus face a total fine of €20m, including €14m that is conditional, while Newcastle face a €10m fine with €7m conditional. Both clubs must achieve full compliance by the end of the 2028/29 monitoring season.The agreements also include restrictions on registering new players on List A for UEFA competitions. The severity of those restrictions will depend on each club’s progress against annual financial targets.Failure to meet the targets could trigger further financial penalties, tighter registration controls or exclusion from the next UEFA competition for which the clubs qualify.OGC Nice and Santa Clara were fined €2m and €1m respectively after demonstrating that their football earnings breaches were temporary. Most of both penalties will become payable only if the clubs remain non-compliant in 2026/27.FC Astana were fined €100,000 and FK Partizan €200,000 after UEFA classified their football earnings breaches as minor.Nine clubs breached the squad cost rule by reporting ratios above the 70% limit for the 2025 calendar year. UEFA calculates the ratio using spending on players and coaches relative to adjusted operating revenue and transfer results.RC Strasbourg received the largest squad cost penalty at €25m, including €12m conditional, while Aston Villa were fined €22.5m with €15m conditional.Both clubs were also given restrictions on registering new players for UEFA competitions in 2026/27 after their breaches were classified as significant.Fenerbahçe were fined €7m, Fiorentina €6m, Chelsea €3m, Newcastle €3m, Nottingham Forest €2.5m, AEK Athens €500,000 and Nice €450,000.Chelsea and Aston Villa had already been sanctioned in the previous season. UEFA made part of their latest penalties conditional after considering improvements in their squad cost ratios between 2024 and 2025.Bologna and Napoli also reported ratios above 70%, but avoided sanctions because UEFA regulations allowed their excess costs to be offset against football earnings surpluses.FK Vardar Skopje were fined €250,000 after submitting an incomplete financial reporting perimeter. A repeat offence within the next three seasons would expose the club to exclusion from a future UEFA competition.UEFA will publish its final reasoned and binding decisions in due course, while the affected clubs must now incorporate potential fines and registration limits into their financial and recruitment planning.