Aston Villa are one of several Premier League clubs thought to be on the brink of breaching FFP/PSR restrictionsAston Villa owner Nassef Sawiris has slammed the Premier League’s FFP/PSR rules – insisting they “cement the status quo” and are “not good” for football.
These bold comments come just weeks after Villa secured Champions League qualification for the first time since its 1992 rebrand. Unai Emery’s men finished fourth – replicating Newcastle United’s achievement the previous season.
The Magpies failed to replicate those heights in 2024-25, with added demands from European travel contributing towards an unprecedented injury list. At the height of Newcastle’s woes, financial restrictions stopped Toon chiefs from bolstering the squad in January.
That is despite the Magpies boasting the richest owners in world football – worth an estimated £700billion. Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley hit out at the “limiting” regulations earlier this year.
“Sometimes, when you over-regulate, you can slow growth and we have to make sure that we get the right balance between the right regulatory environment, the right rules and the right Financial Fair Play rules that promote growth,” she said. “That’s the only way you’re going to get great football.
“Football is difficult. You have very limiting Financial Fair Play rules. You have so many rules and restrictions about player purchases so it really does probably need some fresh thinking.”
