Aston Villa Confirm Significant Losses in End of Year Accounts 

Football - Premier League - Luton Town v Aston Villa - Kenilworth Road, Luton, Britain - March 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Lucas Digne celebrates scoring their third goal as Luton Town's Thomas Kaminski reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Luton Town v Aston Villa - Kenilworth Road, Luton, Britain - March 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Lucas Digne celebrates scoring their third goal as Luton Town's Thomas Kaminski reacts. (Reuters)
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Aston Villa Confirm Significant Losses in End of Year Accounts 

Football - Premier League - Luton Town v Aston Villa - Kenilworth Road, Luton, Britain - March 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Lucas Digne celebrates scoring their third goal as Luton Town's Thomas Kaminski reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Luton Town v Aston Villa - Kenilworth Road, Luton, Britain - March 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Lucas Digne celebrates scoring their third goal as Luton Town's Thomas Kaminski reacts. (Reuters)

Aston Villa confirmed a £119.6 million loss in their end of year accounts on Monday, despite a season that saw their return to European football after more than a decade.

The losses fuel concern around Villa's future transfer strategies amid the need to avoid running afoul of the league's tightened financial rules.

Profit and sustainability (PSR) regulations permit teams to lose a maximum of £105m over a three-year period, although investments in infrastructure, the academy, charity foundation and women's football can be deducted so teams are compliant with PSR rules.

"These figures are in line with the strategic business plan, and we continue to operate within the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules," the club said in a statement.

"The owners of Aston Villa remain committed to the long-term and sustainable development of the club, and we look forward to continued progress on the delivery of our strategic plan."

Aston Villa, who are currently on pace to play in the Champions League next season in fourth in the Premier League.

Villa reported an increase in revenue of £217.7m, up from £178.4m in the previous year.

The PSR calculation also allows teams to deduct any losses due to COVID-19 costs during the two seasons impacted by the pandemic.

Everton were docked 10 points in November for violating the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules. The penalty was reduced to six points last week following an appeal.

The Merseyside squad face another potential points deduction after being charged with a separate breach of the league's financial rules in January, along with Nottingham Forest.

Villa are in action on Thursday at Ajax in a Europa Conference League last-16 game, and then host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday. They are five points ahead of fifth-placed Spurs although Tottenham have a game in hand.



Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal match.
Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals at the Australian Open last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title.
Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semifinal against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony holding thei trophies.
Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women’s singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.
“I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it’s definitely something special,” Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. “I hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semifinal rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.
The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST) and will run for 15 days.
Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn’t allowed to play.
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 US Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev.