Wage Cap

Does anyone else think football needs to implement wage caps across all leagues.
Having clubs spending ridiculous and obscene amounts, in some circumstances much more than they can generate, is leading to this more more more attitude in the worldwide game.
More games are being pushed through, muted desires to take games abroad, ridiculous ticket and merchandise costs, increasing TV subscriptions, all done chasing more revenue to throw at wages in most cases.

So question is if a fair capping policy was brought in wouldn’t it make the game more sustainable, balanced and with a more secure future?

 

Makes sense to me. Or at least a squad wage cap if not individual.
Clubs will never agree on what it should be though, so it will never happen.

 

And the big clubs would find ways to cheat the system.

 

You mean £50,000 a week, then bonuses £250,000 per appearance, £100,000 per goal, £100,000 win.

 

Not to mention … we’ll pop your relatives on the payroll doing obscure jobs for eye watering wages, up to them as and when they turn up.

 

I think a squad size cap would suffice. Then the premier league don't hoover up all the kids that never end up playing.

 

The short answer is no.
The longer answer is Yes Football needs some sort of regulation/rules etc to stop all the above but a wage cap is not the answer.
For a start a wage cap wouldn’t stop owners and football authorities wanting to create more wealth, secondly unless it’s was global players would just follow the money to other leagues.

They could start by regulating and ensuring spending is controlled with clear and definitive penalties harsh enough to put clubs off gambling.
% of income diverted to local grass routes sports

 

Most definitely. You don't need to pay players half a million quid a week each to produce an entertaining game of football.
The game needs to be given back to the fans instead of fleecing them for all they're worth.

 

The biggest problem as I see it (and I'd like to see it happen in some form.) Is would it be an infringement on employment laws.
Only way it could happen in this country is making the tax thresholds introduce a tax above a certain amount, it's not going into the players pocket but the inland revenue.
90+% above say £3m pa. for example. If they dont like it. Go play somewhere else I wouldnt lose any sleep. I don't necessarily blame the players but the people who pay such obscene amounts.
Bear in mind £300k per week = £15m pa. 90% of £12m still leaves you with £1.2m in your pocket. Over and above the first £3m. Which would return about £1.5m.

As I say, obscene. Makes a mockery of society when doctors have to strike to TRY get what they are worth for example. A fraction of what some players get pw.

 

Whilst I agree something needs to be done, the difficulty would be trying to implement it worldwide across the different leagues.
Over here, the NFL, MLB, etc. have salary caps in place, but that is easier to implement, as they are domestic competitions (even though the winners are World Champions ).
But even with this in place, teams such as the Yankees, Dodgers, etc. ignore it, because winning is all that matters. At the end of the season they pay a fine, which they don't care about. With no promotion / relegation, that's the only option. I believe docking points for the following season would be better, but I've never seen that discussed.

 

Forgive me for playing dumb, but if everybody

What if its a level playing field worldwide so maximum wage budget is xyz per week, so you could pay people more but you've then to cut elsewhere to balance out, most companies have set amounts per grading, wouldn't this comply with employment laws?

 

All for it mate. But I can't genuinely answer if employment laws would permit it. Maybe someone else more knowledgable could answer that.
I guess football authorities could try but I reckon it would be fought in the courts. At great expense. Most billionaire club owners would look to stop it. Even so, if it were to occur, pay less, but find other means to beat the system.

 

It would never work.

It would just be circumnavigated by the bigger clubs, “haves vs have nots” has always been the way. As some have mentioned, family on the payroll, signing on bonuses, other bonuses, it would just be a complete waste of time. And maybe even just ignored.

Plus there would always be a country that wasn’t doing it that would attract the best players on the better money. Or a breakaway league not under the control of uefa, fifa, whoever was trying to enforce it.

Its an ideal which a lot would like, fans of clubs like ours for definite - but I cant imagine a similar response from Wrexham, Birmingham in our league; nor plenty of clubs in the premier league either. There are some rules; they are broadly observed as well - going further to an actual cap, a figure that each club can’t exceed - for the clubs generating a shitload it could be argued as restriction of trade if they were prevented reinvesting money that have generated. Unless the figure was set higher than most clubs could afford to pay - which would make it a waste of time.

As astronomic as premier league wages are generally and as ridiculous as the top amounts paid are, which premier league clubs are in financial trouble?

I can think of only Everton, and it isn’t wages and transfer fees that have hampered them, it’s the crippling debts and interest for the borrowing they’ve had to take for their new stadium that’s yet to be finished which is causing the bulk of their monetary problems.

Lower down the ladder yeah - of course. Plenty of clubs living hand to mouth. But a few championship clubs with parachute money aside, who is actually paying loads of money? We are third in league one, nobody outside of our club would be particularly surprised that we are in that position, and our highest paid player is on what? £6k a week? Bit more? (Slonina is probably on more but I’m assuming we aren’t paying the bulk of that as we weren’t Tedic).

It’s a bloody good living don’t get me wrong but it isn’t ’set for life’ money. And one or two clubs aside, there aren’t many on much more in this division. Most of Birmingham’s squad will be, Wrexham a few probably, and the odd one here and there elsewhere, Huddersfield presumably. But there will be regulars in this league and certainly league two on maybe £50k a year - with a decent number of the people watching them on higher salaries.

Jack Shepherd won’t even be on that for example, figures online suggest about £600 a week - I presume he’s on appearance bonus etc but he’d have been clearing that fitting kitchens.

 

Surely they would just not ‘employ’ the players and subcontract them to get round employment laws?

 

No idea tbh what can and can't be done. Just that I think employment laws would override a football governing body. I guess the abolition of the maximum wage originally came about through law not just players union protests. As it was the PFA who fought the issue ?
A salary cap on teams is supposedly in place. In the premier. I would have thought that might skirt round the max wage. Bit of a minefield to get round. I guess you'd have to be an expert on the situation to know what can actually happen.
I'm sure it's been or being looked at all the time.

 

Would need worldwide buy in otherwise the money would just move to another league

 

Correct. Can't see the Saudis agreeing to any sort of wage cap.

 

Unfortunately it’s too late, when Sky got involved in the early 90’s football has descended into greed and it’s just too far down the line now sheiks and Oligarchs are involved and betting companies.

 

SKY just accelerated it and were the next in line prior to them it was Italy & Spain, it’s always been there.

 

It would have to be governed by FIFA worldwide with all Leagues/Clubs signing up to a Charter of some sort.
Can’t see them ever doing it though as they like the money too much and would run the risk of a breakaway organisation.