First published in The Athletic by Paul Taylor, March 6, 2024
When financial fair play regulations were first proposed, Paul Faulkner, Aston Villa’s chief executive at the time, voted against their introduction.
Now, roughly two decades later, he believes it is time to “tear up profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) and start again”.
Faulkner believes that Everton and Nottingham Forest should escape punishment for PSR breaches, too, as the current rules are “such a mess”.
A hearing to decide what punishment Forest will receive for breaching PSR rules, partly during their first season back in the top flight in 2022-23, will begin on Thursday and is expected to last at least two days. Forest could face a points deduction or a fine.
The six-point deduction Everton have received (reduced from 10 points on appeal) for similar breaches is regarded by some as a potential bellwether for what Forest can expect — but nobody knows for certain what will happen. Faulkner believes the complete lack of guidelines or structure available to the three-person independent panel who will review Forest’s case is one of the main reasons the regulations are not fit for purpose.
“There is an amnesty needed. The authorities need to stop and ask themselves how they can do things in the right way. Is there an approach that will benefit the game?” says Faulkner. “You just wait for things to be made more simple.
“They have cocked this up and they need to accept that and deal with it. There should not be any punishment because it is such a mess. There should be no punishment for Everton or Forest, they should tear up the rules and start again next summer — find a way of doing things that is much, much clearer, where there is a structure in place.
“They are probably hoping that (fellow strugglers) Luton do not win many more games, so that all of this just becomes academic — there is a fundamental problem to be solved here, in how PSR is regulated in the first place.”