Wage Cap.

[Nem]

What do you guys think of the EU trying to implement a wage cap?

[Nakor]

I think it would be against EU competition/employment law.

Could be implemented via gentlemans agreement, I believe the Premiership have a majority vote rule so could be implemented that way - and to be honest I think it will come.

[SKIPPYSKIP]

I would think more clubs would offer players tax free back handers to keep them happy if he wage structure was brought in.

[Graham C]

I think that something should be done but I can't see an EU cap working.  There will be loads of ways around it.

[Rooky9]

i just can't imagine how it would work or be regulated...I'm not sure if they can dictate what people are paid in an open market.

[The Baron]

I dont really like the idea but I'm sorry to say it probably will happen, similar to all North American Sports.

[Rooky9]

with US sports they managed to impliment it before they went too high... footabll would have to reduce players wages. Also with US sports arent the players registrations all held centrally? I know they are in 'soccer'.

[The Baron]

with US sports they managed to impliment it before they went too high... footabll would have to reduce players wages. Also with US sports arent the players registrations all held centrally? I know they are in 'soccer'.

I'm not sure present wages will be an issue to be honest. Every single advisor to the government at present has asked for greater competitive balance - the PM himself has mentioned the words "wage cap" thanks to his advisors.

Beckenbaur has asked for it in recent weeks (a G14 club representitive) and other European club presidents are making the same noises. Not so much because of Chelsea, more because of player power.

Another slightly off topic but potentially relevant issue is the Ashley Cole/EU case. If he wins the face of football will be changed forever (similar to the Jean Marc Bosman case) and the wage cap will be a certainty IMO.

[TightEnd]

Please never get me started on the NFL salary cap.Its fascinating and is the greatest paradox in modern sports that the biggest capitalist nation in the world has ultra socialist policies at the heart of its sporting game

Meanwhile baseball operates with no salary cap...

All very interesting


p.s NFL Contracts not held centrally

[brad.strider]

Please never get me started on the NFL salary cap.Its fascinating and is the greatest paradox in modern sports that the biggest capitalist nation in the world has ultra socialist policies at the heart of its sporting game

Meanwhile baseball operates with no salary cap...

All very interesting


p.s NFL Contracts not held centrally

elaborate tighty, i have vague memories of the nfl going through a real bad time  after the wage cap

[ifm]

I remember an interview with an old time footie player (Stanley Mattews or his ilk) and he said that during the wage cap on English football he was paid around £3 a week but every Friday he went to play snooker with his manager.
They used to play £1 per frame and every Friday he would win exactly £5 from his manager.
These days though it would be difficult for footie teams to backhand players in that way.

[TightEnd]

Sigh


OK, The NFL did not always have a salary cap....it produced dynasties such as the Pittsburgh Steelers who won 4 SBs in the 70s and the Cowboys in the 1980s

In the mid 1990s the NFL introduced a salary cap. Why? the league was not competitive enough and tv audiences were dwindling...a team like the Tampa Bay Buccs pre Glazer had 11 out of 12 losing seasons

The salary cap allows team currently the same budget for $125m roughly for the season...from this all wages, siging bonuses etc have to come

The effect over time has to disperse the talent amongst all 32 teams..each team has a marquee player etc and tv revenues are split equally

Players typically sign from rookie for 4-5 years and then resign for mega $$$ or go to free agency....part of the successful management of these franchises is to build a squad that simply cannot afford 30 superstars

Of course the feeder system for the NFL is the college system and the fascination that is the NFL draft where the bottom team in one year gets the first pick of players in the next years drafdt......there is thus an inbuilt equality mechanism that allows teams to be nowehre one year and in the playoffs the next

Its hugely complicated and interesting

Only one team since the salary cap era...the Patriots has acheived anything like dominance and now they are on the wane

In terms of British football, there's no feeder system the clubs develop their own talent but theoretically the salary cap system would create a far more watchable league

[Triple X]

you know who originated this daft idea???

our very own richard caborn!

Yet another useless labour front bencher.

why do they get involved??

This is the 21st century UK not Stalin Russia.  Chelsea were broke and in desperation 5 mins before abrahamovic came in and now look.  Leeds were in the CL semi final and now look.  Blackburn won the premiership.

what i am saying is that outside the top 3 of liverpool, man utd and arsenal who manage their clubs properly capitalism will dictate that over time and with cash anyone can do it - watch Gaydamaak at Portsmouth - look at wigan.

arsenal are not a big club - that is the greatest fallacy.  We have been held back by a stadium which gave us only the 7th highest gate receipts yet yr in yr out we have performed at the highest stage and that is down to an excellent boardroom and an excellent manager.

The new stadium will elevate us properly to one of Europes biggest.

other teams can do it -

[The Baron]

The effect over time has to disperse the talent amongst all 32 teams..each team has a marquee player etc and tv revenues are split equally

Only nationally. Local TV revenues are distributed differently which is quite important considering American channels and how they work.

[EuroChamps]

The wage cap idea is good in theory, but i believe its unpractical in football and i'll explain why.

For one there are multiple divisions, unlike the NFL (classic salary cap example) where there is only one league and therefore easy to place everyone on a level playing field but what happens to the teams relegated?? would they have to then comply with the salary cap in the first division?? would they have to trade (yes trade, the transfer system as we know it would have to be dissolved) their star players to get below the cap?? and what if there star player didnt want to leave, what happens then??

I'm not a supporter of a small team, i am a liverpool fan, so i have no idea whats its like struggling against relegation or having financial problems like other smaller clubs (no offence intended). But with Chelsea being above the rest at the moment, when we beat them (i.e. Champions League and F.A cup) it makes the win all the sweeter!!!  I can imagine that when smaller team beat us, or man u, arsenal or chelsea they get the same satisfaction and i wouldn't like that to change.

Many arguements there are (sorry for being yoda) both for and against the salary cap, but personally i wouldn't like one!