Financial Fair Play: Wolfsburg's Accounts Under UEFA Microscope

Wolfsburg are one of many clubs UEFA are keeping a close eye on as they return to European competitions. Financial Fair Play aims to curb reckless spending, sanctions include suspensions from UEFA's club competitions.

Wolfsburg's accounts will be monitored by football's European governing body, UEFA, as it looks to implement its Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.



The Wolves - who will face Inter in the Europa League quarterfinals - are one of several clubs whose balance sheets are under scrutiny from UEFA. President Michel Platini has been intent on clamping down on "financial doping" in European football.



Of clubs whose balance sheets ended in December 2014, UEFA will be investigating Dynamo and Lokomotiv Moscow, Inter Milan, Besiktas, Roma and Zenit, while Liverpool and Sparta Prague have been cleared of FFP breaches. A statement from UEFA said both clubs had been found 'to have satisfied the break-even requirement and are no longer under investigation'.



UEFA are investigating the Bundesliga's second-placed club to see whether the unique ownership structure of Wolfsburg complies with FFP - the club is owned, completely, by automotive giant Volkswagen AG.



"It's clear that the look of our model has to be explained," commented sporting director Klaus Allofs.



According to FFP, clubs may not be allowed to participate in European competitions if they are spending more than they earn. The regulations were introduced in 2011 with the most notable punishments for Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain who had 20 million euros ($22.5 million) docked from their Champions League broadcasting revenues last year.



Meanwhile, Monaco's accounts remain under investigation; two days following the French club's 3-1 win at Arsenal on Wednesday. The team of the principality has been funded by Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev since 2011 with the club spending 140 million euros to sign players such as James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao while playing in France's second division.



UEFA aim to reveal the final judgments on their current investigations between May and June.



rd/msh (AFP, SID)