Chelsea ease Financial Fair Play fears after revealing £23.1m loss for Premier League title-winning season
Chelsea insist they remain compliant with European Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules after revealing that they made a loss of £23.1m last season, despite winning the Premier League.
The figure represents a swing of more than £40m from the previous year’s £18.4m profit and came despite the second highest annual turnover figure in the club’s history.
Revenue was down £5.5m to £314.3m, which the Blues attributed to a less successful Champions League campaign that ended at the first knockout round rather than the semi-finals, as in 2013-14.
Chelsea say they “comfortably” met the most recent FFP requirements once allowable adjustments were applied. Those rules tightened this year to cap losses at €30m (£21m) for the three-year cycle ending in 2014-15.
The club expect a new £40m-per-season shirt sponsorship with Yokohama to contribute to more record-breaking income this term, although their current domestic struggles mean they are at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification, which is worth around £35m a year.
Chairman Bruce Buck said: “Chelsea has been consistent in our intention to comply with FFP and it was a primary aim in the past financial year to be one of the clubs with a continuous record of meeting the regulations, which we have achieved.”
Manager Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, aimed a swipe at former Blues defender Graeme Le Saux as he prepared for tonight’s Champions League group match against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Haifa.
Mourinho said none of his players had expressed concerns about playing in Israel, in contrast with their last visit 14 years ago, five weeks after the 9/11 attacks, when Le Saux was among six players to opt out.
“I didn’t have a single problem within the squad,” said Mourinho. “I didn’t have a Graeme Le Saux. I had everybody without fears.”
Le Saux, a member of the Football Association’s inclusion advisory board, accused Mourinho of damaging the game’s culture with his criticism of former Blues doctor Eva Carneiro.