Premier League PSR 'not good' for football - Villa co-owner

Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris (right) with fellow owner Wes Edens

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.

Villa are expected to need to sell players this summer to comply with profit and sustainability (PSR) rules, having reported a loss of £119m in their accounts up to 31 May 2023.

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."

Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted points last season for PSR breaches while Manchester City also face charges, and are separately facing the Premier League in a legal battle over commercial rules.

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 PSR are set to remain for at least next season, while clubs have agreed to trial an alternative financial system, which operates like a spending cap, alongside PSR in the 2024-25 season.

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.