GENEVA — UEFA fined Roma 2 million euros ($2.22 million U.S.) and threatened Istanbul Basaksehir with a one-year ban from European competitions in the latest rulings by club finance investigators on Friday.
Basaksehir also was fined 100,000 euros ($111,000).
Fines of 60,000 euros ($66,500) for Aston Villa and 20,000 euros ($22,100) for Marseille were imposed for late delivery of accounts for the monitoring system once known as “Financial Fair Play.”
Villa will play in the Champions League this season, likely earning at least 40 million euros ($44 million) in UEFA prize money. Marseille, which was fined by UEFA in 2022, did not qualify for any UEFA competition after reaching the Europa League semifinals last season.
FFP was approved by UEFA in 2009 to promote financial stability in top-level European soccer by evaluating revenue and spending by clubs which qualify for its competitions. It was amended two years ago and rebranded as “Financial Sustainability.”
Critics of the system have said it tries to limit investment by wealthy owners of emerging teams trying to challenge the established elite, and also has not been a deterrent to state-backed clubs Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
UEFA required clubs last season to spend no more than 90 per cent of revenue on wages and transfer fees. The so-called “squad cost rule” is being phased in over three seasons toward a 70 per cent limit.
“All clubs reported a squad cost ratio within the 90 per cent limit applicable for the 2023-24 season,” UEFA said.
PSG, Inter Milan and AC Milan were among clubs fined in previous years which met financial targets last season, UEFA said.
Roma “slightly exceeded the intermediate target” and was fined, UEFA said. Roma will play in the Europa League this season which can pay clubs tens of millions of euros in UEFA prize money.
UEFA’s club finance monitoring panel judged Basaksehir “slightly breached the final target foreseen” last season.
The Turkish club will be barred from the next UEFA competition it qualifies for in the next three seasons unless it complies with fresh financial targets. Basaksehir also can register just 23 senior players instead of 25 in the third-tier Conference League this season.
