Football: The English Premier League New Financial Regulations
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The English Premier League (EPL), which is the most lucrative association football league in the world, with annual revenues of around £7.5 billion (around €8.6 billion), has approved new Financial Regulations, which will come into force for the 2026–27 season.
These include the Squad Cost Ratio, which limits clubs to spending no more than 85 per cent of their football revenues on wages and transfers, replacing the existing Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Whilst the EPL claims that these new Rules will promote competitive balance and financial health, there are a number of critics who argue that the Rules constitute a de facto salary cap.
Amongst their critics, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), which is the oldest professional sports trade union in the world, founded in 1907, with around 5,000 members each season, including players from the EPL, the English Football League and the Women's Super League. has warned that legal challenges are “inevitable”.
In fact, the PFA claims that the Rules infringe players’ rights and restrain trade.
Also, several football clubs, including Manchester City and Manchester United, are expected to oppose the changes, and some legal experts have raised concerns about whether the rules comply with UK Competition law.
The new EPL Financial Regulations are complex and technical and, for an explanation of them log, onto ‘https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4467022/new-premier-league-financial-system-explained’.
When doing so, readers may well need a cold towel for their heads to cool down their brains!
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
