Premier League clubs attempt to close PSR loophole – Fails due to lack of support | OneFootball

On Monday, it was reported that the Premier League clubs were at last set to vote on closing a PSR loophole.

Martyn Ziegler is Chief Sports Reporter at the newspaper and has often been first with revealing Premier League changes that are set to happen.

The man from The Times said that the ‘Chelsea’ PSR loophole was expected to be voted on this midweek.

Martyn Ziegler has now given an update on what actually happened when the 20 Premier League clubs met near Harrogate these last two days.

Ziegler says that there were so few clubs prepared to back a closing of this ‘Chelsea’ PSR loophole, they didn’t even bother putting it to a vote.

A feeling amongst a number of clubs that with Chelsea having fully taken advantage of this PSR loophole on such a huge scale, it would be a case of closing the stable door after the horst has bolted. As other clubs would be denying themselves the chance of potentially doing similar in the future, with Chelsea having already filled their boots.

The Times report – 4 June 2025:

‘The Premier League has failed in its bid to prevent clubs selling assets to sister companies in order to comply with its Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

A proposal to close the loophole that has allowed Chelsea to register a “profit” from selling hotels, and their own women’s team, to a sister company did not even go to a vote at the Premier League’s annual meeting, which took place near Harrogate. The proposal came after requests from some clubs.

Sources said it became clear even on Tuesday that there was not enough support in the room for the proposal and so it was not put to a vote on Wednesday. It would have needed 14 of the 20 clubs to vote in favour to allow the rule change to be passed.

Some clubs felt that to change the rules now would be “closing the stable door after the horse had bolted”, one club executive told The Times, and that as Chelsea had benefited from the loophole, others should be allowed to do the same.

There was also concern that it would prevent clubs earning revenues from selling assets such as property to unrelated parties.

PSR will remain in place next season without significant changes. It had originally been envisaged that the rules would be replaced with a new cost control system but the legal challenge by Manchester City against Associated Party Transaction rules — which will be heard by an arbitration tribunal in October — led clubs to decide in February to keep PSR for at least another year.