I've read the FFP rules getting mentioned a few times recently so thought I'd share a shocking, little-known fact that I hear a BBC journalist say a couple of weeks ago. Firstly for those of you who are looking for the FFP rules to start and have an effect some bad news: they started this season just gone. Yes - the season where Man City won the league and Chelsea won the CL. Didn't you notice? Cos there's a period for clubs to get their house in order and: "Some losses in the first years will be permitted. Clubs will not have to actually break even until 2018/19 season at the earliest." (My emphasis) So there you go. To read more on how those superheros at UEFA are leaping into decisive, strong action please go here: http://www.ffw.com/feature/financial-fair-play-rules/ffprs-faqs.aspx Just thought I'd share.
Yes, "some losses" however, I think if you study it more carefully, you will find that losses on the scale of City's will not be tolerated. In other words, it will not be possible for them to continue with a wage bill that is higher than their entire turnover, to start with.
I still don't think it'll come to anything. The likes of Barca and Real would have to get their houses in order and that's not going to happen.
Seems like some teams aren't worried if the reported three-way tussle for Hazards signature is true...... around £200,000 a week!
I think it will depend on how determined Platini & co. are to push this through. They obviously can't have one set of rules for the top Spanish sides, and one for the Prem.
The whole FFP rule is a joke. Any club spending crazy money on players will simply massage the figures to make them fit. Move a few figures here or there and the balance sheet can be adjusted to suit. It's a pointless rule that will have zero effect on the game. If their accountants can't get the figures in order, this can be simply solved with a stuffed brown paper bag addressed to Michel Platini and friends.
It's very difficult to massage a bigger wage bill than you entire turnover! Accountants can be very " creative" but that would rank alongside the five fishes and three loaves!
The accountants at Man City must be divine then! The Etihad sponsorship was reported to be worth £400m. That'll go a long way to clear up some of their huge spendings. The previous largest was Arsenal's, which was £90m. They consulted with UEFA, who said this was okay, but it seems a little overblown really.
I think that this is the sort of way they'll try to get 'round it. Or, rather, this is the first of many ways that will evolve to try to get round it. The reason I posted this up is cos I kept reading people say "...what with FFP coming in" when the bad news is...it's already here! Notice much difference? OK - it's not here here but the fact remains that breaking even won't have to happen til 2019 at the earliest. So basically the mixture of the facts that: a) It's yonks away b) There are already ways around it being worked out makes it look pretty toothless. And think about how this ruling is going to be enforced. Every now and again an accountant from UEFA will ask to look at a club's books. People who own football clubs are powerful, wealthy men who did not get where they are by giving a flying toss about tax rules or in fact any laws at all (in some cases). I just can't see an accountant employed by UEFA as being much of a match for Abramovich and his flunkeys.
Yeah, I know, but the fact that the club went to UEFA, asking for the okay,t hen signed the deal means that UEFA thought it was fine. The investigation is probably just to shut up those of us (all non-city fans) that believe it is corrupt
Think I'm right in saying that while losses will be permitted, clubs have to show a year on year improvement in their figures. Which makes me wonder. What if a club later this year posts losses of £10m. Then in 2013 they post profits of £20m. Would that mean that in 2014 they would have to post profits in excess of £20m, or just that they have to avoid posting losses in excess of £10m?
The latter, surely. It'd be too weird, even for a football governing body, to insist that a club makes profits of £20m or more. Thing is that clubs like Spurs (by which I mean almost all clubs bar Arsenal and one or two others) all make losses most years. In fact the only years we haven't posted losses in recent times were when we sold Berba/Keane and the year we sold Carrick (I thiiink). So clubs might need to start selling players to balance the books. If they give a monkey's. Aren't the sanctions that you're banned from European competitions? So the majority of the clubs in England won't give a monkey's anyway. Hmm - you could even get a Wigan or someone bought by a billionaire who simply doesn't care about the club competing in Europe. So whilst (if) the top clubs are having to rein their spending in this guy could just flout the FFP rules and deliver back-to-back titles for Wigan. Boo hoo - they're not in Europe. Oh - so the players are more fresh. Another League title then, please.
Now now, Notso - you're attacking the great financial industry that is the backbone of modern Britain. One man's fraud is another man's tax agreement. Only difference is that the first man is a normal guy who might go to jail and the second man heads a huge corporation like Vodaphone, for instance, and will probably work on a government committee to "deal with corruption" in few years' time, investigating his mates and the company he still owns millions of pounds of shares in and will come to the conclusion that everything looks hunky dory. There's barely any such thing as fraud once you get to certain level of wealth.
Again, as Luke has pointed out, the rules are pretty clear. UEFA's will to enforce them, remains to be seen, however.
Cheers...but I was taking the piss, you've indicated before you're dislike of smileys...one there may have helped....
