UEFA are planning to bring new “Financial Sustainability” regulations into effect in 2025 to replace the existing Financial Fair Play rules.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who detail the regulations which they report have the full support of top clubs behind them.
UEFA is scrapping FFP, but the governing body intends to replace the rules piece-by-piece with new “Financial Sustainability” regulations which are aimed at restricting spending and stopping the rise in costs at the top level of football.
The governing body has been opening proceedings into a number of top European clubs looking at their accounts and their noncompliance with existing regulations, but not with a view to any potential sanctions.
The new rules are expected to be approved on April 7, and will gradually come into effect, first by restricting clubs to spending 90% of revenues in 2023, then 80% in 2024, and finally 70% of revenues in 2025.
The first budget to be covered by the new regulations will be the 2023-25 seasons, and is meant to be a period for clubs to rebalance their accounts following the shock of the pandemic and the continually rising costs.
The regulations will mandate solvency, with clubs having to pay outstanding debts within ninety days, as well as financial sustainability, with significant deficits not allowed.
The penalties associated with violating the regulations will not have any “grey area” according to the Gazzetta, with the risk of reduced squad sizes, exclusion from European competitions, and the ineligibility to use new players on the table for clubs who fall foul of the new rules once they come into force.
