this won't only affect english clubs. i think a number of the italian and spanish clubs too aren't exactly debt free either.

Barca, RM, Sevilla, Juventus, Inter, etc

I doubt they will be free of debt...

The thing about Chelsea's debt is that Roman can just decide to wipe them all out. In the case of Man Utd and Liverpool though its a lot more complicated. We are obligated to service the debt and repay them the money borrowed plus interest in a specific period of time. Platini is just running his mouth off now. Imagine the appeal of the Champions League without the big names. Fact is, many large corporations run on debt. Yes its a liability, but use them well and that so called debt can grant you cash flow. As long as clubs don't go into administration during the course of a season they shouldn't be too worried.

now that big four already played some of the cl matches,this wont take effect until next season...

and of chelsea debt, if not mistaken 5xx m are from roman...another 1xx m are from loan...they can just wipe the former...

i don't think UEFA will implement this next season...
maybe a season after that

business without debt?what is on platini mind?

Understandably most of the 'big 4' fans get all defensive about this. I urge you all to think from a neutral's pov.
I do think that the sour old coot is onto something valid for once.

And fyi, many businesses are run debt free. As an auditor i would know, won't i ?

Any initiative to close the gap between the big sides and smaller ones should be a welcomed one in my books. With clubs not being able to borrow huge amounts of money to fund transfers, prices of players will be driven down. The other initiative that is being considered is the imposition of salary caps like in the US. American clubs are only allowed one player above the salary cap limit.

I'm all for promoting competitiveness in the English Premier League but having a wage cap might actually lead to the league losing most of its appeal. As we all know, the EPL hosts some of the highest paid footballers on the planet and having a wage ceiling might lead to some of these mega stars opting to leave for other leagues (La Liga, Serie A etc.) You can't expect non-English footballers to have a certain bonding for their respective clubs and if other opportunities offering greener pastures are available, they wouldn't be hesitant in leaving. Heck, the English might even be looking to want away from their home countries considering the fact that most of the higher paid players (should only 1 player a club be allowed to be paid above the cap) in the clubs are from other continents.

The imposition of the salary cap will be worldwide and isn't limited to just England. The only issue is that wage/salary caps in Europe are actually illegal.
The adverse is that players will then be bribable. Notable Premiership players are paid so much these days it's not worth the risk to take bribes. Just to sidetrack, I think referees should be given higher pay as well since they've made some rather appalling decisions of late. What are they paid now? $1,000 pounds a game?

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Oct 11 2008, 05:36 PM

platini always has dirt on his mind.
thats why he can only manage football not business.

does he ever has one to begin with??

agreed with the salary cap there...i'm ok with it at all.... but to restrict 'debt ridden' clubs from entering UCL competition?? c'mon, why didnt they do it few years back when la liga & serie A clubs were winning the competition?? why wanna do it now when english clubs are starting to dominate the competition?? do they have a thing for english clubs??? be it sepp bladder or platini.

Looks like Platini really has something against English top football club.

Then it'd require the approval of all the respective FAs, which will mean it'll be very highly unlikely. Add to that the European Union employment laws don't exactly allow such a thing. The NBA and NFL are against having salary caps, and the only non-football sport I know with such a ruling is rugby, but according to my dad it was because the sport was in such a big financial mess that it had to be imposed. Although, I'd like for there to be some more competitiveness and having teams compete on close to similar levels, in this case its best for the market to rule and run its course. The Batas will forever be trumped by the Nikes, thats just how it is nowadays.

what's on your mind ? football club's assets were made up mainly from intangible assets .. having a big debt is a big no-no. but people on the red side won't agree as they buy their expensive player by ignoring this.

LINK
It's a bit old but still pretty accurate barring chelsea's



I think people are missing the point.. The keyword is massive debt like those of manu, pool.. Remember leeds?

Good times for chelsea


This post has been edited by ivanchin99: Oct 11 2008, 08:07 PM

They should implement this...Football is starting to lose its identity as a sport, its not much about the game now as it is about the money...Looks like Platini is a man on a mission...Although, it does seem like he has some kind of vendeta against big clubs....Maybe last time as a player he kene reject kot...

Before today's regulations, Formula 1 was dominated by Ferrari for a couple of years. It got really boring to watch as Schumey and Barrichello always started at the head of the grid and would lead from start to finish. Their only real challenges came from Mika Hakkinen at McLaren. Since the imposition of rules like having to run on one engine, having 3 qualifying sessions and such, F1 has again become more competitive. You see the Torro Rosso's, Toyota's and Red Bull Renault's having a go. When was the last time a driver like Sebastien Vettel won a GP?

I don't agree with everything Platini says but I laud his efforts to level the playing field, even though I support one of the bigger sides. I think too many people are reacting negatively to this without giving it more thought. In the end, it's good for the sport. I mean where is the motivation in going into a season, hoping for a mid-table finish at best?

is it even possible that chelsea worth less than liverpool? i doubt...

I second this. Motorsports is always a good example as when running unchecked the teams in the money will always dominate the weaker ones. Prior to the current incarnation of the Japanese GT, the previous one failed iirc due to lack of interest. The sponsored teams were running super powered cars and the races got boring. Not sure if they had race girls back then though

It took some pretty radical restrictions to make the series interesting again, faster cars are required to carry penalty weights in order to even the field!

I do suppose we should have something similar in football. We cannot expect Hull to upset Arsenal every week now can we?
Just how interesting is the UCL's early rounds nowadays eh? How much of a chance do the minnows from the smaller footballing nations have?