This has been on the way for a while, businesses don’t like uncertainty in terms of revenue streams
but City and PSG have had a major hand j in causing this, inflating transfer fee levels to utterly insane levels, not just in one off transactions but in number. The demands of the fans of the clubs involved for hundreds of millions to be spent each summer is unmanageable, particularly if there’s a risk attached to it. For instance, imagine we committed to the £3-400m for Haaland over the next 5 years, only to have a Liverpool of a season and finish 7th, absolutely £#%&!ed financially and looking down the barrel of several years to put it right. That’s something we’re in the midst of, Barca, Madrid, Inter, Arsenal and Spurs are on the cusp of and Milan and Liverpool have frequent, painful experience of.
Can only think City and Chelsea, although they had a couple of years out of the CL, are trying to get out from under FFP.
They’re going about it the wrong way, instead of bringing prices and wages down, they’re continuing the trend of inflation, but trying to guarantee the money to compete. They still want to be seen to be making huge transfers, as it’s good for business and marketing, but they want to be able to realise the profits on their investments. If we bought Haaland, next season United could reasonably say our viewing figures are miles more than for any other club due to everyone wanting to watch Haaland and as a result should receive TV/Ad revenue that properly represents the product United are bringing to the screen rather than a similar amount that Norwich or Trabzonspor will receive, for instance.
Can sort of see their point. UEFA and the PL want these 12 clubs in their competitions and want them signing and fielding the best players in the World so their competitions can be marketed on the back of these clubs/players and can they thrive and profit from it. They certainly didn’t chuck us any additional money for bringing Schweinsteiger, Falcao, Di Maria etc. to the club and competitions, despite the interest it generated and money it undoubtably made them, when it all went horribly wrong and cost the club fortunes to sort out.
By removing UEFA they can remove the cut they take and realise a greater profit for their product, ostensibly to allow further investment, but in reality to line their pockets rather than the corrupt @#%&!s in charge of UEFA. Once UEFA are marginalised, they can further squeeze the PL for greater split/control of the TV money here, as at that point all the best players will only play for the 12-15 clubs and the leagues will be utterly dependent on them and have to accede to their demands.
Lots of talk about Covid losses, and that’s fair enough. Obviously it’s difficult for the clubs to cost cut when players are on multiple years deals on ridiculous sums, but surely the reality is you have to sell your players to generate funds and get the contracts off your books, even if it’s at a lower fee than you’d like? If they all did that then the transfer market would deflate, wages would come down etc. Problem there is the likes of PSG and City who have no money concerns and could properly blow the rest out of the water; that and player and agents refusing to take pay cuts or pay offs to move and demanding massive wages to move. It’s a £#%&!ing mess.
Can only hope that this announcement is the catalyst to finding a way to sort the whole shitshow out.
TL
R, NRAT etc.
19-04-2021, 11:18 PM
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