Liverpool will be named as one of several clubs under investigation by UEFA for possible financial fair play (FFP) breaches this week.
Press Association Sport reported yesterday that an announcement by the European governing body is expected to be made as early as today.
Liverpool, Monaco, Inter and Roma – who were all absent from European competition last season and have recently submitted their accounts to UEFA – are due to be asked to provide further information on their finances to the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).
No financial sanctions will be imposed at this stage however – though a provisional sanction to withhold Champions League money is possible as a next step in the process and the CFCB will hold talks and ask for more information from all the clubs involved before making any such decision.
Liverpool made a loss of £49.8 million for the 2012-13 season, and £40.5 million for the 10-month period before that.
The Merseyside club will hope to avoid any sanctions by writing off a big chunk of losses as allowable stadium expenditure – the 2011-12 accounts reported that £49.6 million was associated with Liverpool’s stadium costs, £35 million coming from former co-owner Tom Hick’s aborted plan to build a new stadium on Stanley Park which new owners Fenway Sports Group had to scrap.
UEFA’s FFP rules say losses must be no more than £35.4 million over the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, but allow expenses such as on youth development and stadium costs to be written off.
Manchester City and Paris St Germain were the clubs hit hardest by UEFA last season for breaching FFP rules – they were each fined £49 million and handed restrictions on transfer spending and a reduction in Champions League squad size.
Legal challenge
UEFA remain confident that legal action against its FFP rules will be defeated and that a crucial European Commission decision in its favour will be made in the next fortnight.
Manchester City’s independent supporters’ club has joined the legal action being taken by Belgian agent Daniel Striani, which was lodged with the European Commission and the Belgian courts in May 2013.
The MCFC Supporters Club, has almost 15,000 active members and 168 branches worldwide.