Most of the money in UEFA’s largest financial penalties on European clubs was suspended rather than payable outright, a new review of disciplinary decisions shows. The finding gives useful context as Manchester City wait to learn their punishment in England.
Data site Winsportsonline examined UEFA cases from 2014 to 2026 with maximum penalties of at least €20 million in a single monitoring year. It found 15 of them, with combined maximum sanctions of €603.5 million:
- Unconditional: €174.5 million, or 28.9%, was payable regardless.
- Conditional: The other €429 million, or 71.1%, depended on clubs missing financial targets agreed with UEFA.
Why it matters now
The Premier League said on 29 September 2026 that an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of all charges of serious breaches of its financial rules across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. City were also found guilty on most charges of failing to cooperate with the league’s investigation.
The sanction will be set at a separate hearing. City have said they are disappointed and surprised by the verdict and will appeal, and chief executive Ferran Soriano has described the case as a Premier League conspiracy theory.
City have been punished in Europe before. In 2014, UEFA fined both City and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) €60 million each and capped their Champions League squads at 21 players. Of each fine, €40 million was to be returned if the clubs met operational and financial measures agreed with UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body. Only €20 million each was payable outright.
The biggest cases
- Chelsea, 2025 (€91 million): The largest total in a single monitoring year. UEFA ordered the club to pay €31 million in July 2025: €20 million for breaking the new football earnings rule and €11 million for breaching the squad cost rule. A further €60 million applies only if Chelsea fail to meet the terms of a four-year settlement.
- PSG, 2022 (€65 million): The second-largest total. Only €10 million had to be paid immediately; the remaining €55 million depended on reaching break-even targets.
- €60 million cases: Barcelona, agreed in July 2025 with €15 million unconditional and €45 million conditional on a two-year settlement, alongside the 2014 penalties on City and PSG.
The review also found that Juventus appear three times among the 15 largest cases, more than any other club. PSG, Inter Milan and Aston Villa appear twice each. Twelve of the 15 cases date from 2022 onwards, after UEFA replaced its original Financial Fair Play break-even rule with squad cost and football earnings limits.
