Stefan Borson: Arsenal are ‘close’ to breaching financial rules
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The punishments relate to a breach of Uefa’s football earnings regulations and its squad cost ratio, where clubs in European competitions were required to keep spending on player wages and fees to 80 per cent of revenue in 2024.
However, the control ratio dropped to 70 per cent in 2024-25 and will remain at that level moving forward, with Arsenal’s revenue reaching £616.6m in their latest published accounts for 2023-24, while their wage bill was £327.8m.
Credit: Imago
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Arsenal could improve their squad cost ratio if they win all of their Champions League games before the end of this calendar year.
Mikel Arteta’s side beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in their opening game of the competition, while they will play five more matches before the end of December.
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Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “On the squad cost control rules, a number of clubs are going to be challenged of the nine who are being tested.
“Arsenal are going to be close if you look at what are the variables from the Arsenal perspective between now and the time when the squad cost control is assessed.
But on the squad cost control side, a lot of it will depend on how they do in the first phase before December in the Champions League.
There’s probably not that many other elements between now and the end of the year that they can increase revenue from.
Credit: Imago
“Squad cost control is a calendar year test, so it takes half of the numbers from the accounting year 2024-25 and the first half of 2025-26.