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UEFA has issued a new series of financial penalties against several top European clubs, with Premier League outfits Chelsea, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa all hit with significant fines. The governing body’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) confirmed these disciplinary actions following its evaluation of financial sustainability requirements for the coming seasons.

Newcastle United and Aston Villa face the heaviest sanctions

Newcastle United and Aston Villa have been identified as the hardest hit among the English clubs, marking a considerable impact on their financial standings. The Magpies have agreed to a three-year settlement arrangement with UEFA after failing to meet the “football earnings rule,” which was assessed over a three-year aggregate period covering the financial years ending in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Both Newcastle United FC and Juventus FC entered into a three-year settlement agreement with the CFCB, consistent with the framework introduced last season. The length of this arrangement depends on each club’s ability to comply with the regulations based on their submitted financial forecasts.

Under these terms, each club must meet the final target and achieve full compliance with the football earnings rule by the end of the 2028-29 season, which includes the financial years ending in 2026, 2027, and 2028. Newcastle’s total fine amounts to €10 million (£9 million/$11 million), with €7 million of that being conditional.

Premier League clubs penalised for exceeding squad cost limits

In addition to issues with the earnings rule, the CFCB also identified extensive breaches of the “squad cost rule,” which caps player-related spending at 70% of a club’s revenue. Four English sides – Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest – were found to have exceeded this threshold during the 2025 calendar year. The penalties applied vary depending on the severity of each club’s infraction and their financial performance trends.

The CFCB First Chamber determined that Aston Villa FC (ENG), Chelsea FC (ENG), Newcastle United FC (ENG), Nottingham Forest FC (ENG), OGC Nice (FRA), RC Strasbourg (FRA), AEK Athens (GRE), ACF Fiorentina (ITA), and Fenerbahce SK (TUR) all breached the squad cost rule, reporting a squad cost ratio above 70% for 2025. Fines were calculated proportionally to the percentage points by which each club exceeded the limit and the magnitude of their overspending.

Conditional fines and player registration restrictions

While the financial punishments are substantial, some clubs also face potential sporting penalties. Aston Villa and RC Strasbourg were identified for “significant” breaches, leading to restrictions on their ability to register new players for UEFA competitions. However, UEFA acknowledged that both Villa and Chelsea have demonstrated improvement in their financial management, which has allowed part of their fines to remain conditional.

For Aston Villa FC and Chelsea FC, which had already been sanctioned in the previous season, the CFCB First Chamber took into account the positive trend in their squad cost ratio between 2024 and 2025, as shown in the projections they submitted under their settlement agreements. Consequently, a portion of their fines is conditional on further reducing their squad cost ratio in 2026. Villa’s total fine amounts to €22.5 million (£19 million/$26 million), while Chelsea’s fine stands at €3 million.

Detailed obligations under the settlement agreements

Newcastle and Juventus, as clubs under settlement agreements, are now under close UEFA scrutiny. These agreements extend beyond financial commitments, dictating how clubs must structure their squads and maintain financial balance through 2028. Failure to meet interim objectives could result in even stricter sanctions, including potential exclusion from UEFA competitions.

As part of the settlement, clubs agreed to several obligations: to pay fines calculated according to the size of their financial breach; to face restrictions on registering new players on their List A for UEFA tournaments, which may be applied conditionally or unconditionally depending on compliance; and to achieve annual intermediate targets. Failure to meet these targets could trigger additional measures, ranging from tighter player registration limits to exclusion from future UEFA competitions for which the clubs qualify.