UEFA has imposed fines on Manchester United and Barcelona for breaching its Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The governing body announced the penalties, with Manchester United being fined €300,000 and Barcelona facing a larger fine of €500,000.
These sanctions come as a result of UEFA’s monitoring of club finances during the 2022-23 season, which covered the period from 2019 to 2022. It’s important to note that these fines are based on the previous FFP rules, as new regulations will be implemented from next season onwards.
Manchester United’s breach of the FFP rules stemmed from reporting “minor break-even deficits,” indicating that their financial losses for the specified period exceeded UEFA’s requirements. In response to the fine, Man. United released a statement expressing their disappointment but accepting the punishment.
The club clarified that the breach was a minor technical one and attributed it to the way UEFA adjusted for COVID-19 losses during the reporting period. They highlighted that the club’s revenues have since recovered strongly and are expected to reach record levels in the current financial year.
Barcelona, on the other hand, was fined for “wrongly reporting” profits related to non-player sales during the 2022 financial year, which were deemed irrelevant under UEFA’s regulations.
Among other clubs fined by UEFA were Porto and Anderlecht, while AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Monaco, Inter Milan, Besiktas, and Marseille avoided punishments.
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