The English Premier League is believed to be looking at introducing its own financial fair play rules, as concerns grow over UEFA’s intent to crackdown on clubs who fail to adhere to the European governing bodies new regulations.
The issue was apparently raised at the Premier League annual meeting in June where the new rules were scrutinised. The EPL already has some checks and balances in place, such as its members having to produce three-monthly tax bills for the Revenue and Customs office as well as providing proof that they can manage future budgets.
It is however, as mentioned previously, the spiralling fees being paid to player agents and the escalating wages of the players themselves that has prompted a working party to look at whether England needs its own Financial Fair play rules. To change the constitution of the Premier League to adopt such a move, which has been endorsed by Manchester United and Liverpool would only take 14 of the clubs as all that is required is a two-thirds majority.
John W Henry told Liverpool fans via the club’s website “The mandate of financial fair play in Europe is for clubs to live within their means, recently I was told that half of the clubs in the top divisions are losing money and 20 per cent are in straits of varying degrees.” Common-sense will no doubt prevail and this will in time be implemented.
Mr Henry’s comments could easily have been made about the A league clubs, as well as most of the State League clubs, especially those in Western Australia, so maybe similar financial fair play rules need to be adopted here rather than trying to enforce a salary cap that is easily bypassed. However the hardest thing will be to get everyone, or at least the required number of clubs to agree. Not The Footy Show believes that the A league clubs had recently reached an agreement in relation to splashing out exorbitant sums on Marque players, only to see Sydney FC go out and do exactly that on Italian star Alessandro del Piero. Actions often speak louder than words and one wonders whether such a key change to ensure the future of clubs and the game, would ever manage to be approved in this part of the world.
