Premier League clubs in landmark meeting

September 5, 2012

A significant number are keen to introduce self-imposed Financial Fair Play rules to ensure spiralling wages and agent fees do not threaten the existence of clubs in the English top flight, with more than half currently running at a loss.

An insider told ESPN on Wednesday night ahead of the landmark meeting: "The chairmen have been talking about this and have asked for it to be top of the agenda at the first shareholders' meeting of the new season.

"A report is sure to be presented to the chairmen of a detailed breakdown of how much the clubs pay for their footballing staff, and the possibility of a mean average being used as a limit for spending on players, managers, coaches and football staff is sure to be looked at very closely.

"The idea of bringing in Financial Fair Play to the Premier League is under consideration - it happens in Europe, it happens in the Football League, and now the chairmen have to decide whether to ensure that clubs no longer run at a loss and run at a risk."

There is unlikely to be a vote on Thursday, but it is expected that there will be a significant step forward in

formulating more detailed proposal and sanctions.

Manchester City are concerned about introducing new rules and the scale of punishment for those that fail to abide by them, but Manchester United appear to be in support of the measures, with chief executive David Gill telling The Times last week: "It will be a very good debate. A lot of clubs would be happy to have Financial Fair Play regulations as laid down by UEFA.

"There has to be a consensus and the clubs have to agree on what is good for the Premier League. Without doubt, enough income is coming in to the Premier League to ensure that clubs don't lose money in my opinion."

Behind the new move is the new influx of TV cash coming into the game next season, with clubs determined that the extra funding does not simply serve to escalate payments to players and agents.

Several Premier League chairmen - including Stoke's Peter Coates, West Ham's David Sullivan and Wigan's Dave Whelan - have already spoken to ESPN to voice their support for the plans.

Phillip Beard, chief executive of QPR, also told ESPN: "We are always keen to listen to what the other clubs are trying to achieve, particularly those clubs who have been in the Premier League longer than we have.

"What I do like about the Premier League is that for any decisions to be ratified it requires 14 clubs to vote to agree to change, and that is sensible, although it does mean quite a few decisions can be short circuited. However, it is clear that everybody wants to find a route to run football in a sensible business way."

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No surprises who wants this ruling. Manchester United obviously feel the heat from their crosstown rivals, and Wigan, West Ham and Stoke now have to compete with a cashed up QPR for the best relegated/Championship talent.

Doesn't really affect us, as a Champions League club, we will be forced to abide by UEFA's FFP policy anyway, but will potential curtail the likes of Everton, Newcastle or Fulham who have low revenue and but high expectation/ambition.

Christ, the hypocrisy of that club. For years they ruled the roost paying over the odds for players and paying wages beyond every other club in the prem, now they have been usurped they want rules brought in. FFP will benefit only the big clubs as usual, the ones making all the money will continue to make all the money and the gap between those that have and those that havent will grow exponentially. Great.

well our academy looks like it is on track now , hopefully in a couple of years we can say f**k you to Man utd and Arsenal and not have to spend millions

Man Utd want to impose this of course, they probably make twice the money we and City do combined in merchandise and so its a new weapon to use against us.

I dont see how this FFP can help teams who are trying to raise their profile... the Stokes, QPR, Wigans..... where is their growth going to come from?

All this does is further separate the giants from the rest and keeps everyone else much further behind than they are now.

Its all a bit of a joke really and it will never last.

Edited September 6, 201213 yr by Zola

Man Utd want to impose this of course, they probably make twice the money we and City do combined in merchandise and so its a new weapon to use against us.

I dont see how this FFP can help teams who are trying to raise their profile... the Stokes, QPR, Wigans..... where is their growth going to come from?

All this does is further separate the giants from the rest and keeps everyone else much further behind than they are now.

Its all a bit of a joke really and it will never last.

FFP is the elites way of staying the elite, and making sure none of those lesser clubs have the chance to grow above their station by having the temerity to be bought by rich owners.

My FFP rules:

- Put a cap on wages(Ex: £100k a week], agent fees and sign on fees

- Cap on total wage bill (Includes sign on fees etc)

Financial fair play is something that looks good in theory, but how it would actually work out isn't so clear.

In theory it would encourage clubs to develop their own players in their academies. And again in theory wages and transfer budgets would be lower and the smaller clubs should be able to hang on to their decent young players and build good teams and be able to compete.

But we all know it won't work out like that. A salary cap like comtrend suggested would do much more to level things out.

FFP is so bloody pointless. Let's say Barca and Madrid fail all of the rules... would UEFA kick them out of the UCL? Would they f**k. Platini out.

(Not sure if Platini has anything to do with FFP, just a general point... because he's a bellend).

Typical United. They aren't the biggest nor richest anymore so once again want the goalposts shifted in their favour, I suspect the FA will cave in just like they did 20 years ago. Anything to help their beloved team and preserve the status quo.

- Put a cap on wages(Ex: £100k a week], agent fees and sign on fees

this really wouldn't help English clubs stay competitive unless it was introduced worlsdwide and was post tax. If it was pre-tax then the countries with the lowest tax will attract a lot of the better players.

This is all coming from the same Fergie who a decade ago signed Rio Ferdinand for £30m in 02 and Rooney for £27m in 04 (at the time that was a more expensive fee than any Chelsea player). To blame us or Man City for distorting the transfer market is hypocrisy at its finest.