GENEVA (AP) — Chelsea evaded more serious UEFA sanctions Tuesday for overspending, while its sister club Strasbourg got the heaviest fine of 13 million euros ($14.8 million) among 14 clubs that broke financial monitoring rules.
Aston Villa was ordered to pay 7.5 million euros ($8.6 million), which was about one-third less than its UEFA financial sanction last year.
One year ago, Chelsea was fined 31 million euros ($35.5 million) and was set stricter financial targets, which the club just missed by spending more than 70% of its revenue on wages and transfers in 2025, UEFA said.
Chelsea was fined just 1 million euros ($1.14 million) Tuesday, with a further 2 million euros deferred, after a season in which it won the Club World Cup and got almost $115 million from FIFA.
UEFA deferred a conditional fine for Villa, twice that of the sum paid, in order to meet targets next year when the new Europa League title holder will play in the Champions League.
UEFA praised Chelsea and Villa for making financial progress while urging both clubs toward “continuing to significantly decrease their squad cost ratio in 2026.”
Chelsea, however, should see a big revenue drop because the team will not play in the Champions League or any European competition next season after a 10th-place finish in the Premier League.
Chelsea did earn about $90 million in June in compensation from Manchester City for hiring its former coach Enzo Maresca and the sale of Spain defender Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.
Strasbourg, which is owned by Chelsea’s holding company BlueCo, also has a deferred fine of 12 million euros ($13.7 million). The French club also was told by UEFA to “significantly decrease” players costs for 2026, when it will not play in European competitions.
Strasbourg likely earned about 15 million euros ($17.1 million) from UEFA for reaching the Conference League semifinals this season captained by Emmanuel Emegha, who is now joining Chelsea.
Other fines ordered Tuesday include 7 million euros ($8 million) for Fenerbahce, and 6 million euros ($6.85 million) for each of Newcastle, Juventus and Fiorentina. Nottingham Forest was ordered to pay 2.5 million euros ($2.85 million)
Juventus and Newcastle both missed break-even targets across the three previous years under the “football earnings rule,” UEFA said, and both agreed a three-year settlement deal to meet financial targets.
Both played in the lucrative Champions League this season but failed to qualify for the next edition. Juventus, which placed sixth in Serie A, will play in the second-tier Europa League and Newcastle did not qualify for any European competition.
UEFA agreed a system in 2009 — then known as “Financial Fair Play” — in the wake of the global financial downturn to monitor income and spending by clubs which qualify for European competitions.
Supporters of the project say it has helped stabilize spending on transfer and wages within club's means.
Critics say it protected storied clubs with an established global fan base, and limits ambitious and emerging clubs with wealthy owners from spending heavily to make progress.
The heaviest fines in the first round of monitoring in 2014 were paid by Abu Dhabi-backed Man City and Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain. Both clubs won their first Champions League titles in, respectively, 2023 and 2025.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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