For many, the arrival of Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, alongside Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, signed the death of financial fair play. But UEFA would have another idea in mind to prevent the situation from happening again.
If financial fair play was meant to prevent a team from crushing the competition with its economic might, then it is very difficult to see its usefulness at this time, as the PSG has carried out an XXL recruitment, to add a six-fold Golden Ball to its constellation of stars. The arrival of Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain has thus hurt the rivals of the capital club. ” For me the power (financier) is stronger than justice, so with the arrival of the best player in the world, the difference will increase even more with the other teams ”, thus regretted the coach of OM, Jorge Sampaoli, about his former player in the selection.
The observation of failure is there, it is posed by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the former president of the Bayern. “At the end of each season, UEFA checks whether all clubs respect financial fair play. But it is obvious that we must be concerned about the conditions of competition which must become more level., observes the Bavarian in the columns of L’Equipe. It is therefore necessary to adapt financial fair play with even more rigorous criteria. It is an absolute necessity. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin agrees. We need a return to more rationality. These regulations are supposed to stabilize competition, not restrict it. “
A salary cap not so embarrassing?
We must remember several things: that financial fair play has been relaxed this season to help clubs get out of the health crisis, and that PSG has finally spent “only” 60 million euros by betting especially on free players (that’s as much as Norwich, promoted to the Premier League). However, the change seems necessary in the eyes of the German leader. “We must review the version of financial fair play, Rumenigge thus pleads. Currently we have version II, we need version III with a catalog of fines for those who do not respect the FPF. We must not question everything, but adjust and readjust it. There must be clear rules for all that must not be circumvented by tricks or backdoors. “
UEFA already has new rules in mind. According to the Times, the body headed by Aleksander Ceferin would like to take inspiration from the NBA by introducing two well-known measures from the North American championships: the salary-cap, and the luxury-tax. In other words, clubs would not be allowed to have a payroll that exceeds a certain percentage of their income. The figure of 70% is mentioned, it is also the one used in La Liga and which poses enormous problems for the FC Barcelona.
But unlike what happens in Spain, where Barça cannot sign contracts with new players, clubs that exceed the salary-cap would simply be forced to pay the luxury-tax, a (very high) luxury tax whose income is redistributed to other teams. The threat of exclusion from European competitions, the worst that could happen for PSG or Man City, would thus be discarded. What to scare the powerful? This remains to be proven …
PSG, the biggest payroll in the world (all sports combined!) Https://t.co/nbbVlF13In
— Football.fr (@football_fr) August 10, 2021
