- Aston Villa’s Director of Football Operations Damian Vidagany has criticised the financial rules
- Whilst they are restricting Villa, he believes they will not stop the club from continuing to grow
- The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules and UEFA’s Squad Cost Rules currently tailor to club’s with high revenue
Aston Villa’s Director of Football Operations, Damian Vidagany, has labelled the financial rules as “unfair” but is confident they will not stop the club from growing.
Ever since the Villans entered European football under Unai Emery, UEFA’s Squad Cost Rules (SCR) have persistently hampered what they can spend in the transfer market. Their rules stipulate that only 70% of a club’s revenue can be spent on players and coaches’ wages, transfer amortisation and agent fees.
For a club like Villa, who are trying to break into the mould of an elite club, their revenue is still trying to catch up to the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, etc. These teams can effectively spend whatever they like, each transfer window, without the need to consistently sell players.
The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) have also been a problem in recent years; however, from next season, they will adopt a similar model to UEFA’s SCR, where their limit will be 85%. Although for Villa, as they will be competing in Europe for a fourth consecutive season, they still have to comply with UEFA’s rules, so their limit will remain at 70%.
Returning to the Champions League through either a top-five finish in the league or through Europa League success will give the club a significant financial gain, but it will not completely alleviate the pressure from the financial rules.
Vidagany’s stance
Speaking during a fan Q&A at the Warehouse last weekend, Vidagany explains his view on the way the current rules operate.
“I am not really against a general financial control, to avoid bankruptcies at clubs. In Spain, we had examples of clubs who spent a lot, but when the owners left, the club went into bankruptcy, and the club never recovered.
“Where I agree, it is that the revenue itself cannot be the main and crucial key to calculate the potential or capacity of a club. There are multiple factors which should be taken into account.
“For me, I always say that to have a flat percentage of a squad cost is something unfair. It is like putting the same flat rate of taxes to every single citizen, not dependent on the income of the citizen.
“There is a lot to work on that, but in the meantime, we know we need to struggle and squeeze our minds to be compliant with financial fair play. As hard as it was, I would say that even with difficulty, this club is not stopping growing. Not stopping growing on the pitch or off the pitch.”
“I was thinking that when we came three-and-a-half years ago, and now it seems like a very fast journey together, even with these constrictions and restrictions of financial fair play. There was no Warehouse, we have a much better stadium, and we are planning a new stand too.
“We are here with the owners, and the moment of being in the Champions League was absolutely difficult to think of when we were close to the Conference League for the first time.
“So financial fair play is a difficult thing; it is not made for the teams who we aim to be at the top with. Times have changed. City, Chelsea, big clubs passed through a moment without financial fair play restrictions, but even with it, we are going to make it. We must be ready to overcome any difficulty.”
Villa are a club that breaks the barriers and disrupts the norm. You just have to look at the transformation under Unai Emery these past few seasons, where they are now a consistent top-five contender.
As the growth has happened so quickly, it will take a bit longer for the finances to catch up, so they need to battle as much as they have done already to remain where they are. But when it does, they will be a force to be reckoned with and will be regarded as one of the elites.
