UEFA Financial Fair Play

UEFA have confirmed that 76 clubs will be ordered to submit information about their finances ahead of new Financial Fair Play rules.

In April the Club Financial Control Board, which is responsible for implementing the new rules, will reveal which of the clubs will be referred to its disciplinary panel for sanctions.

The rules are being brought in to force so that clubs live within their means, and to try and prevent those with rich owners from simply spending their way to success.

In principle, clubs cannot spend more than their generated revenue although they are allowed cash injections of up to 45 million euros over three years. Spending on training facilities and youth development is exempt.

"UEFA is taking the lead to protect European football from greed, from reckless spending and financial insanity," Infantino told reporters.

"Financial Fair Play basically proposes helping the clubs to live within their revenues in a sustainable way," he added.

"UEFA is not seeking to exclude or isolate clubs, Financial Fair Play is to help the clubs but on the other hand UEFA is not afraid to take the necessary measures to protect the game."

UEFA said all the 237 clubs who qualified for European competition this season have been assessed. Of those, 103 were ruled exempt as their revenue or income was below the minimum of 5 million euros annually.

Reports in several media outlets, including the Daily Mail and The Guardian suggest that Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain could be two of those clubs.

It is not known however, whether any Italian sides will be caught up in the sanctions.

Chelsea - despite high levels of spending on transfers and wages since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 - is expected to comply with FFP requirements and is understood not to be among the 76 sides that UEFA have requested additional information from.

Manchester City are believed to be among 76 clubs in European competition this season – about one third of the total – being investigated for possible breaches of Uefa's financial fair play rules. Paris Saint-Germain are also thought to be involved.

The 76 clubs all failed Uefa's break-even calculations for 2012 and have been asked to provide financial information for 2013.

They will all now have their finances assessed by the club financial control body to see if the breaches have continued and whether sanctions should apply.

The Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino said: "This figure of 76 clubs is a high figure but it has to be looked at in the perspective of what the end figure will be."

Clubs face a range of sanctions ranging from a warning or a fine up to being forced to play in Europe with a salary cap on the squad, or even being barred from competing and having trophies stripped.

The sanctions will apply from the start of next season but in April Uefa will name the clubs who are facing possible action.

Among English clubs, Manchester City would have the most to fear having returned losses of £97.9m in 2012 and £51.6m last year.

Chelsea made a £49.4m loss last year but actually made a £1.4m profit in 2012 so may escape any action.

S wrote:http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Paris-bientot-puni/451991

PSG at risk of FFP punishment due to their recent sponsorship deal with Qatar Tourism Authority.

PSG in danger of being in breach of Uefa's FFP regulations over sponsorship deal with Qatar Tourism Authority


Telegraph Sport understands European football’s governing body has huge concerns about PSG’s 200 million euro-a-year (£167m) tie-up with the body set up to promote the Gulf State

Paris St-Germain are in serious danger of being found in breach of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations over their sponsorship deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority, it has emerged

Telegraph Sport understands European football’s governing body has huge concerns about PSG’s €200 million-a-year (£167 million) tie-up with the body set up to promote the Gulf State, whose Qatar Investment Authority owns the club and has made it one of the richest in the world.

Uefa’s independent Club Financial Control Body must make a decision next month whether the deal breaks FFP rules, something that would result in a sanction of anything up to expulsion from European competition.

Any such punishment would take effect from next season, controversially allowing PSG to remain in this year’s Champions League if they beat Chelsea in the quarter-finals next month

The French champions’ accounts are currently being examined forensically to determine whether their deal with QTA represents fair market value and is not a related-party transaction.

Were it to fail either of these tests, a sanction would follow.
However, PSG have already left Uefa with the impression that they would not accept such a punishment.

Indeed, the governing body is thought to be nonplussed by the attitude of their officials to its probe into their finances. Having initially appeared eager to please, their behaviour was described as “haughty” in their most recent meetings with Uefa accountants.
They were also said to be “less convincing” than their counterparts at Manchester City, who are the other club under heavy scrutiny.

City’s deal with Etihad is in the region of £35 million a year, a figure its own accountants have already signed off as not being a related-party transaction.

PSG refused to comment on the developments.

Mr Nick09 wrote:Clark Whitney ‏@Mr_Bundesliga  1m
Telegraph: City, PSG to receive xfer ban for FFP breaches. But clubs affect (ex: Arsenal) can appeal to have them thrown out of the CL