Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris questions PSR in football – BBC Sport

The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules “do not make sense” and are bad for football, Aston Villa’s co-owner says.

Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris also said he was considering legal action against the rules.

That expectation comes despite the club qualifying for the Champions League after finishing fourth last season.

Villa voted against the introduction of PSR rules, which came into force in 2015-16, which permit losses of up to £105m in a three-year spell for Premier League clubs.

The club reportedly failed in a move to raise the maximum losses to £135m at the top flight’s annual general meeting last week.

Sawiris told the Financial Times: “Some of the rules have actually resulted in cementing the status quo more than creating upward mobility and fluidity in the sport.

“The rules do not make sense and are not good for football.”

BBC Sport understands an arbitration hearing surrounding the legality of the league’s associated party transaction (APT) rules, which determine whether sponsorship deals are financially ‘fair’, is taking place until 21 June.

“Managing a sports team has become more like being a treasurer or a bean counter rather than looking at what your team needs,” Sawiris said.

“It’s more about creating paper profits, not real profits. It becomes a financial game, not a sporting game.”

The Squad Cost Rules (SCR) and Top to Bottom Anchoring Rules (TBA) will operate on a “non-binding basis”.

Teams will be allowed to spend no more than 85% of their total revenues on squads under the new system.