L'applicazione del financial fair play alle società di calcio professionistiche. Indicazioni operative e considerazioni critiche

Most people use the term 'Financial Fair Play' (FFP) to refer to UEFA's requirement for clubs to balance their books. However the UEFA FFP rules are actually 90 pages long and cover much more than the need to 'Break Even For example, they specify that clubs keep up-to-date with their taxes, their transfer fees and pay player wages on time. Although clubs have been punished under the FFP banner for having 'overdue payables', the main concern for Premier League clubs is the Break Even requirement. Clubs need to apply well in advance and due to the timing of the application process, all Premier League teams will routinely apply midway through the season. In practice, all clubs will strive to comply with UEFA's rules and will usually all apply for a licence. UEFA has been keen to give clubs every chance to comply with the Break Even element of the FFP rules; consequently the financial thresholds for passing the test have been phased-in. However the phasing-in of the targets has made the rules rather complicated to understand. There are 5 main reasons why the rules cause confusion: • Clubs can make a loss and still pass the Break Even test; • The Break Even target thresholds change from season to season; • UEFA asses Break Even over more than just one season; • Certain expenditure can be excluded from the Break Even test; • The permitted Break Even thresholds are in Euros.