In an effort to limit the influence of shadowy, offshore lenders in professional soccer, the Premier League is banning its clubs from borrowing from unregulated finance firms, a practice that has been common for more than a decade.
Starting in 2018, clubs will only be allowed to borrow against their broadcast income from firms regulated by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority, the Premier League said in an e-mail. That will rule out opaque, offshore funds like British Virgin Islands-based Vibrac Corp, which has become a particularly prolific lender to clubs including West Ham, Southampton and Everton.
