As Aston Villa turns up the pressure in the Champions League chase, Manchester City and Chelsea have sent FFP punishment signals.
Aston Villa are three points behind Manchester City in the race for a Champions League spot this season, although the champions and current leaders could face a points loss if found guilty of violating FFP rules.
Manchester City and Chelsea have both received veiled warnings that they might face substantial punishment in the form of point deductions if found to have violated Financial Fair Play guidelines. If it happens, Aston Villa’s prospects of qualifying for the Champions League next season will improve.
The independent commission that oversaw the case against Everton and ultimately agreed that the Toffees should be docked 10 points from their Premier League tally this season stated in their decision that financial punishment alone would not be a strong enough deterrent for elite clubs that benefit from wealthy ownership.
Pressure… Man City boss Pep Guardiola
On that logic, affecting the team’s on-field achievements is regarded a more acceptable penalty, and as a result of breaking FFP guidelines, Everton has suddenly slid into the bottom three of the Premier League table after previously being far ahead of the drop zone.
Worryingly for City and Chelsea – and fortunately for Villa – the verdict clearly hints at what might happen if they are found guilty as well. “We have no doubt that the circumstances of this case are such that only a sporting sanction in the form of a points deduction would be appropriate,” the independent commission stated in its grounds for deducting Everton points. A monetary penalty for a team that is supported by a wealthy owner is insufficient.
“We agree with the Premier League that the needs of punishment, deterrence, vindication of compliant clubs, and protection of the sport’s integrity necessitate a sporting sanction in the form of a points deduction.” The issue is not the type of sanction, but its magnitude.”
City, which has won the Premier League five times under Pep Guardiola since 2017, were the target of a league investigation that began in 2018 and lasted more than four years until the conclusions revealed 115 claims against the club.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s claims date back to the previous era, when Roman Abramovich was the club’s owner. Last week, The Guardian claimed that hacked papers contained secret payments to individuals associated with transfer agreements. It remains to be seen, however, if City or Chelsea will be found guilty of breaking financial laws and punished as a result.
In the case of the former, if the allegations are upheld and a points deduction is imposed, as was done to Everton, Villa would be among the clubs who would profit.
The Lions have been owned by NSWE since 2018, when Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens saved the club from the brink of extinction toward the end of Dr Tony Xia’s tenure. Since then, they have restored Premier League status at Villa Park, lured Unai Emery to the club, invested millions in the squad, and earned a seventh-place finish last season, resulting in a Europa Conference League participation.
They hope to outdo themselves this year. They are now in fifth place, just three points behind leaders City, after winning eight of their first twelve league games.
