Football giants Manchester United, Barcelona fined by UEFA over FFP breaches

Football’s European governing body UEFA fined Manchester United and Barcelona for breaching the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules on Friday, July 14. The clubs were under the scanner of UEFA in recent times and were fined for violating the rules in the 2022-23 season. While it is not a big setback for the clubs, both United and Barcelona will be aware of the long-term consequences of the situation. Barcelona were banned from registering players in the past during the transfer window while United’s city rivals and defending European Champions Manchester City also faced sanctions in 2020.

What is the fine?

The Red Devils are fined $335,000 for failing to meet the break-even requirement that attempts to limit the losses made by clubs. While Spanish champions Barcelona are fined $561,840 for including profits from sales of intangible assets, which are not relevant income under the regulations, to balance their books. UEFA’s sanctions though are not a major obstacle for either side as they are likely to spend a big chunk of the sum in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Manchester City 2020 were banned from competing in European competitions for two years. However, City decided to appeal the verdict of UEFA which was consequently overturned in favour of City in the same year. City would later make the Champions League final in 2021 before they lost in the final against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.

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FFP in use

The FFP are in use since 2010 and is used to monitor the financial implications of the clubs registered in Europe. The rule allows clubs to report losses of no more than $34 million over three years.

However, the FFP will