The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has warned it may take legal action against the Premier League if new financial regulations are introduced without the union’s approval.
In a letter sent to the league and its 20 clubs, seen by the PA news agency, the PFA accuses the Premier League of intentionally withholding key details about the proposed rules and violating consultation requirements regarding changes affecting players’ wages and conditions.
The letter warns that if clubs vote to implement the squad cost rules (SCR) and top-to-bottom anchoring (TBA) at a scheduled meeting on February 13, the union’s legal team “anticipate being instructed to commence legal proceedings against the PL on behalf of our client.”
Additionally, the PFA states that legal proceedings will be initiated if the Premier League does not provide a written commitment by 4 pm on February 11 to engage in full consultation.
The SCR would cap club spending on squad-related expenses at 85% of revenue, mirroring UEFA’s incoming financial regulations, which will impose a 70% spending limit on clubs participating in its competitions from next season.
TBA, meanwhile, would set a maximum spending cap for clubs at five times the central revenue received by the lowest-earning Premier League club. The PFA argues that this measure indirectly restricts player wages.
Manchester United and Manchester City are among the clubs opposing TBA, fearing it could limit their ability to compete with elite European teams.
Under the Professional Game Negotiating and Consultative Committee (PFNCC) framework, the Premier League and EFL are required to consult with the PFA on issues concerning player pay and conditions and cannot proceed without union agreement.
The PFA’s legal representatives, Mills & Reeve, claim in their letter to the league’s lawyers, Linklaters, that the Premier League failed to meet its own deadline to provide an updated version of the SCR before Christmas. Instead, the document was shared on January 9, rendering a January 8 PFNCC meeting ineffective, according to the PFA.
Further allegations state that the union only received an 87-page SCR manual after a January 20 ad-hoc PFNCC meeting, despite believing that clubs had access to the document as early as last July.
“This was the first time that our client had been made aware that the manual even existed,” the letter states.
“Once again, your client’s (we can only assume deliberate) withholding of relevant documentation pertaining to the (financial) proposals is clear evidence of its failure to comply with its duties under the PFNCC constitution.”
The PFA’s legal team has accused the Premier League of merely giving the appearance of consultation without genuinely engaging with the union’s concerns.
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