Premier League duo face punishment for UEFA rule break as Newcastle United watch on

Newcastle are understood to be compliant with both Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules as well as UEFA’s financial rules as they prepare to return to Champions League football next season.

But Chelsea and Aston Villa, who qualified for the Champions League and Europa League respectively, are set to be punished by UEFA after breaching the European football governing body’s financial rules.

As per a report from The Times, Chelsea are thought to have exceeded UEFA’s limit on financial losses as the club’s £200million sale of its women’s team to sister company Blueco 22 Midco Limited was not taken into account in UEFA’s calculations. It’s a loophole that the Premier League is looking to close after Chelsea avoided punishment domestically.

Aston Villa and Chelsea set to be fined by UEFA

The report also claims Aston Villa have breached the limits for allowable losses, which stands at £170million over a three-year period and is calculated differently to the Premier League, who limit losses to £105million over the same period.

Both Villa and Chelsea are facing fines for breaching the rules. Last year, Villa were fined £52,000 for a late submission of accounts.

In addition to Chelsea and Villa, La Liga champions Barcelona are set for a more serious punishment for multiple rule breaches.

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Barcelona set for more significant punishment

Barcelona were fined £420,000 by UEFA for wrongly reporting profits and lost a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal last year.

The CAS ruling revealed: "The CFCB [UEFA Club Financial Control Body] highlights that a similar breach by the club in the 2023-24 monitoring process would constitute a case of recidivism and would be addressed by the imposition of a harsher disciplinary measure on FC Barcelona.”

It has been suggested that Barcelona could be limited to the number of players they can register in the Champions League or face a points deduction.

Newcastle United preparing for Champions League return

Meanwhile, Newcastle United are preparing to return to the Champions League after securing qualification in dramatic fashion ahead of Aston Villa on the final day of the season.

The Magpies became the first Premier League side to qualify for the Champions League after finishing fifth on league position alone due to the UEFA European Performance Spot rules introduced in 2023-24.

Newcastle ended the season with successive defeats with the 2-0 win over Chelsea at St James’ Park ultimately enough to secure Champions League qualification. The Magpies lost 1-0 to Everton on the final day of the season and were on course to finish sixth with Aston Villa taking the final Champions League spot.

But Villa had a goal controversially ruled out against Manchester United before going on to lose 2-0, allowing Newcastle to claim fifth spot on goal difference.

Villa’s progress to the Champions League quarter-final during the 2024-25 season is understood to have made the club around £100million. Now Newcastle will be hoping to reap the financial rewards of qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition in its new format.

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