Premier League clubs will learn within the next couple of weeks whether or not they are likely to face any charges for breaching financial rules. While Liverpool is not at risk of such a sanction, it will be keeping a close eye on developments.
All 20 clubs handed over their accounts for 2022/23 before December 31, Football.London reports, with any charges to be announced by January 14 amid a crackdown on regulations surrounding profit and sustainability. Everton has already had a 10-point deduction earlier this season.
Under the regulations, clubs are allowed to make a maximum loss of £105m ($133m) over a three-year period. If a club was to be in the EFL for a period during those years, the limit is even smaller. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told The Times that Nottingham Forest, who has been in the second tier for one of the last three seasons, is most at risk of being punished.
The Premier League has made a deliberate attempt to quicken up the process of charging and applying sanctions. Any breaches would be dealt with by April and points deductions would be applied for the current season.
Amid Manchester City facing 115 charges of FFP rule breaches and Chelsea being investigated for allegations of off-the-books payments during previous owner Roman Abramovich’s time at the club — with both cases taking far longer to come to a conclusion over — the faster process should be welcomed. Maguire says that Chelsea can avoid FFP sanctions in the latest crackdown, though, because of spreading deals over very lengthy contracts, despite Todd Boehly’s $1bn-plus splurge.
