UEFA president Michel Platini has warned clubs against “reckless” spending on player wages, saying it could threaten their chances of survival. Speaking to the Guardian, Platini said that European football was in a “dangerous moment” and that clubs were spending too much on player wages, which risked putting them into debt.
“I am very worried about this because we are in a dangerous moment where clubs risk disappearing if they don’t respect the fiscal rules,” he said. Platini was speaking after reports emerged of a number of clubs from Europe’s top five leagues being in financial trouble.
UEFA president warns clubs against ‘reckless’ spending on player wages
UEFA president Michel Platini has warned clubs against overspending on player wages, after it was revealed that some clubs are spending up to five times as much on wages as they are revenue. Platini said that this was “a new disease” that needed to be dealt with immediately, as it was putting a strain on the finances of clubs. He urged them to focus on building their squads from within, rather than paying high salaries for players who may not have a long-term future at the club.
Platini is right to be concerned about this issue – if clubs continue to spend excessively on player salaries, it could have serious consequences for their finances. Over the last few years, there has been an increasing trend of clubs spending more money on wages than they are making back in profits – and this isn’t going to turn around overnight. In order for these clubs to survive in the long term, they need to find ways to reduce their spending on player salaries and put more money into their sporting operations.
UEFA president warns clubs against ‘reckless’ spending on player wages
UEFA president Michel Platini has warned clubs against “reckless” spending on player wages, with the governing body predicting that the over-emphasis on salaries could lead to unsustainable financial problems. In an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe, Platini said that while he understands clubs’ need to pay their stars top dollar, he is concerned about the overall trend of high wages and suggested that it could be a “recipe for disaster”. The Financial Fair Play regulations introduced by UEFA in 2011 aim to prevent clubs from spending beyond their means, but Platini believes that salary bills are becoming too high overall. “It’s not just a question of Financial Fair Play,” Platini said. “There’s no doubt [that] we must respect Financial Fair Play laws, but we also need to take into account social responsibility.
“When you demand too much from players and from teams and you give them very high salaries, it becomes difficult for them when they have to face relegation or when they’re no longer competitive.” While clubs may see the lure of large transfer fees for marquee players as an incentive to break FFP rules, Platini warns that this could lead to bigger problems down the line. “[The problem] is often that these kinds of players don’t want to stay at their club more than a year or two,” he said.
In order to ensure clubs adhere to FFP regulations while still maintaining competitiveness, Platini suggests rewarding them financially based on their sporting results
UEFA president warns clubs against ‘reckless’ spending on player wages
UEFA president Michel Platini has warned clubs against “reckless” spending on player wages, warning that it could jeopardise the future of European football.
Speaking to reporters after his speech at the International Sports Business Summit in Monaco, Platini said: “We are not going to be able to keep up with the big salaries if we don’t have a good economic model.”
He added that UEFA was working hard to develop an economic model which would benefit all clubs involved in European football, “not just the top teams”.
Platini’s warning comes as reports suggest Manchester City are prepared to pay out £200million over five years to sign Brazilian sensation Neymar from Barcelona. The deal is expected to smash the world record for a footballer’s transfer fee and would see City become the richest club in history.
However, Platini is sceptical about such lavish spending and believes it could endanger the future of European football. He said: “You cannot spend more than you can earn… we have a duty not only for [the players], but for Europe.”
UEFA president warns clubs against ‘reckless’ spending on player wages
UEFA president Michel Platini has warned clubs against making “reckless” investments in player wages, warning that they could end up debt-ridden and unable to compete at the top level.
Platini made the comments as part of a wide-ranging interview with French media outlet L’Equipe, in which he also said that he would like to see a return to Champions League group stages from next season onwards.
“It’s important for the clubs and for European football,” Platini said of the need for more balanced competition within Europe. “But it’s not just about money. There must be respect for football.”
The issue of player wages has been a hot topic of debate in recent years, with some clubs spending massively on high-earners despite having little or no hope of competing at the top level. As a result, many have become heavily indebted, with few options other than to sell their best players in order to pay off their debts.
“There are clubs who have gone overboard financially,” Platini said. “They’ve taken on too much debt, and they may find themselves insolvent one day. That would be very dangerous for them and for European football.”
UEFA president warns clubs against ‘reckless’ spending on player wages
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has warned clubs against ‘reckless’ spending on player wages, as the competition’s financial watchdog continues to investigate alleged Financial Fair Play breaches by several teams.
According to The Guardian, Ceferin said that UEFA had received “a number of reports” about clubs violating FFP regulations, and that the organisation was working closely with the European Commission in order to take action.
“We don’t want anyone abusing this rule,” he said. “But if somebody does something wrong we will react very tough.”
Ceferin’s comments follow a report in The Telegraph last week which claimed that Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea could be facing punishment from UEFA for breaching FFP rules. The regulators are believed to be investigating whether the two clubs have been inflating their revenue by signing high-priced players, although no formal charges have yet been made.
UEFA’s recent crackdown on spending appears to be having an impact; last season, only two teams – Monaco and Besiktas – breached FFP regulations despite spending more than €100m on players. However, Ceferin is clear that he isn’t happy with such lavish behaviour, and believes that it needs to stop.
“It would also be great if we could see more sustainable growth,” he said. “There’s no financial fair play without sustainability.”
UEFA president warns clubs against ‘reckless
The president of UEFA, Michel Platini, has warned football clubs against spending recklessly on player wages. Platini made the comments during a press conference in Zurich, Switzerland, where he was speaking about UEFA’s new Financial Fair Play regulations.
Under these new rules, clubs are banned from making losses for three consecutive years and must also provide financial information to UEFA every year. Platini says that this is necessary in order to prevent football clubs from becoming “big gambling institutions”. He added that he was “very worried” about the state of some clubs’ finances and warned that “the sport could face a crisis” if things don’t change soon.