Salary Cap?????

[northbankbren]

Now I know it is very unlikely but with UEFA's new rules aimed at clubs living within their means, the salary cap is likely to come up at some point in the future.

Now let me first off say I am against a league imposed salary cap to teams.

The fact is that we as a club already have a type of salary cap in place as regards to individuals, but as we all know still pay one of the highest amounts in salary in the league.

We as a club are safe. But im thinking more in terms of teams who really overspend like pompey.

An imposed salary cap has the potential to give every club a longer and more competitive future.

Another reason Im posting this is I had a conversation with a good Aussie mate of mine, and we were talking about his rugby team over in aus.

They have a salary cap in the league.

Now RAM may be able to help with the team cant remember who but think they're based in sydney, but his team broke the salary cap and guess the punishment??????

All points deducted......yes ALL their points were taken away.....bottom of the league.....0 points.

Now that is some punishment for breaking the salary cap.......dont want it over here, but it could make the likes of the leeds utd/pompey saga's a thing of the past.

[frankbutcher]

Turkeys voting for Christmas... don't see it happening mate.

[USMartin]

A salary has no practical chance of working in Europe - the separate currecies even now (imagine pre-Euro or if the Euro collapses and we go back each nation having their own currecy valued relative to every other.

Salary caps work here because you basically have one currency(two with the Canadian Dollar to be fair but the American Dollar is clearly predominant and tow tax rates with again the American tax rate being pre-dominant.

A slary cap in Europe would be clearly advantageous and disadvantageous depending on a club's country of origin in a way that isn't the case in American sport.

[QuartzGooner]

A salary has no practical chance of working in Europe - the separate currecies even now (imagine pre-Euro or if the Euro collapses and we go back each nation having their own currecy valued relative to every other.

Salary caps work here because you basically have one currency(two with the Canadian Dollar to be fair but the American Dollar is clearly predominant and tow tax rates with again the American tax rate being pre-dominant.

A slary cap in Europe would be clearly advantageous and disadvantageous depending on a club's country of origin in a way that isn't the case in American sport.

Salary cap could well come along down the line, guess they will be discussed in light of new UEFA plans as Bren says.

Different currencies are no impediment.

UEFA could set a salary cap for each season in US Dollars, with local currency equivalent fixed on 1 June transfer window opening, or 1 September transfer deadline.

The different tax rates though could be very tricky and of course skew the salary cap, but not impossible to take into account each country's tax rate on those dates either.

Think hardest thing about a salary cap would be policing it, making sure there were no under the table cash payments.

[USMartin]

Its an impediment to competitve balance in theory is my point.

I think that fiunacial fair play rules can be implemented more fairly becauser they are based on total spending out vs profit in.

A salary cap would change the the competitive balance of football and the coutries who would benefit least or suffer most will be VERY reluctant to back a cap, and no real cap will succeed with 100% cooperation.

Should the finances of football change to a single currency I'd be inclined to agree that cap could and perhaps would be implemented. Cannot see it happening under the cyrrent set-up in Europe period.

[RaM]

Another reason Im posting this is I had a conversation with a good Aussie mate of mine, and we were talking about his rugby team over in aus.

They have a salary cap in the league.

Now RAM may be able to help with the team cant remember who but think they're based in sydney, but his team broke the salary cap and guess the punishment??????

All points deducted......yes ALL their points were taken away.....bottom of the league.....0 points.

Now that is some punishment for breaking the salary cap.......dont want it over here, but it could make the likes of the leeds utd/pompey saga's a thing of the past.

The team you're thinking of is Melbourne. The only rugby league team based in Melbourne, and a club that was doing great things for the game down there. They were incredibly successful, and even starting to draw crowds in a city dominated by Aussie rules.

Their salary cap breach was found to have happened over a long time though.

So the point stripping was the least of their concerns. They also lost any accolades they had won since they had been in breach of their salary cap. It had been going on for 5 seasons and so Melbourne were stripped of their Premierships in 2007 and 2009 (they beat my team in the final in 2009 ), as well as their Minor Premierships (for finishing top of the table) in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

This season, not only did they lose any points they had already gained, but have been banned from gaining any points, meaning that however many matches they win they'll finish last on 0 points.

[merson_is_god]

Wengers living within his means, can't be a problem, just need to lose Grumpy Gallas and most of the squad are on reasonable wages (bar Fabregas and Van Persie because their wages are too high and Denilson because he doesn't deserve the money he's on!)

[Radford149]

radford says "it simply won't work". end of

[DB10GOONER]

Uefa my indeed "look" at the salary cap issue but the bigger clubs won't be worried, they will just increase "bonus" payments to attract the big stars.

[Gunner152]

Another reason Im posting this is I had a conversation with a good Aussie mate of mine, and we were talking about his rugby team over in aus.

They have a salary cap in the league.

Now RAM may be able to help with the team cant remember who but think they're based in sydney, but his team broke the salary cap and guess the punishment??????

All points deducted......yes ALL their points were taken away.....bottom of the league.....0 points.

Now that is some punishment for breaking the salary cap.......dont want it over here, but it could make the likes of the leeds utd/pompey saga's a thing of the past.

The team you're thinking of is Melbourne. The only rugby league team based in Melbourne, and a club that was doing great things for the game down there. They were incredibly successful, and even starting to draw crowds in a city dominated by Aussie rules.

Their salary cap breach was found to have happened over a long time though.

So the point stripping was the least of their concerns. They also lost any accolades they had won since they had been in breach of their salary cap. It had been going on for 5 seasons and so Melbourne were stripped of their Premierships in 2007 and 2009 (they beat my team in the final in 2009 ), as well as their Minor Premierships (for finishing top of the table) in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

This season, not only did they lose any points they had already gained, but have been banned from gaining any points, meaning that however many matches they win they'll finish last on 0 points.

add to that they were stripped of their world club champions titles both won against the Leeds Rhinos and then they had to give Leeds the winning money!

i think it is fair to say the NRL made an example of Melbourne and i dont believe anyother club will ever dare commit the same sin.

[block6gooner.com]

A salary cap will NOT save clubs.

I used to play and referee Ice Hockey in the UK. I was a ref in the equivalent of the championship in football, they tried to bring in a salary cap for that and the "premier league" to stop rich clubs taking over.

The best players didn't come as they could get better money in European leagues than the UK. (something ring a bell here)

The UK Ice Hockey leagues are very poor standard, even I might have a chance to play and reffing would be a certainty as I could out skate a number of the "pro" players despite not having set skate on ice in over 10 years.

I would rather there was a cap on clubs that are actually able to afford transfer fees being able to compete in the top competitions, rather than (cant think of the word) prevent the Premier League from reaching it's potential (but it might have already done that if we are completely honest)

[Bergkamp-Genius]

Yea it sounds good in theory but it wouldn't work...you would have to control every other facet of finance in football, transfer fees, signing on fees, loyalty bonuses etc etc, there would always be a way to get round it and even if you found a way to stop it, would you really want the owners of the clubs lining their pockets even more with all the extra money they would then have that used to go to the players..

[kevstarkie]

I think in the NBA if a team pays over the salary cap they are fined how ever much over the cap they are. Sure I remember a few years ago the Knicks were about $24 million over the cap so had to pay the league $24 million in fines.

Now this would not work in football I don't think as it would not deter Man City, Chelsea, Madrid, Barcelona or any of the other mega rich clubs as they would just do what the Knicks did and pay the fines.

Has UEFA really thought about it though. If teams have to live within their means then there would be an even bigger divide than there is now. The big teams in Champs League would carry on making more money therefore be able to spend more than the teams not in the competition and so the gap between these teams will just keep getting bigger and bigger until the elite clubs say they have had enough and finally set up a european super league outside of UEFA and FIFA if needs be.

[northbankbren]

I have to say that I think it could work.

But only really in the advantage of the smaller clubs. Which from our standpoint isnt a good thing but for a Dag & Red fan it would be a different story.

If they set the limit at a realistic level then competitative wages could still be available. But what it would do is stop a monopoly of powerful clubs and not allow them to run away with the market.

The likes of Madrid and Citehs spending this summer would become a thing of the past, making the league far more open.

You would set the level quite hight but not too high where a billionaire investment can in essecene buy the competition.

A wage limit seperate to transfer fee's, and not on individual contract terms i.e. You get a budget of £50mill you can spend it as you choose, so you can pay a player 100 grand a week but pay others less.

Also if they set the limit quite high it wont effect the majority of the smaller teams as they wouldnt be able to afford the maximum budget in the first place....so the aims of the cap being met.

But as I said for a growing club like ourselves this would be bad news, as all the years of building up to a certain level you are the prevented moving onwards (not a proplem for us at the mo ).

Once again let me say i am against the idea. But if I did support a lower league team I think my opinion may differ.

[USMartin]

I have to say that I think it could work.

But only really in the advantage of the smaller clubs. Which from our standpoint isnt a good thing but for a Dag & Red fan it would be a different story.

If they set the limit at a realistic level then competitative wages could still be available. But what it would do is stop a monopoly of powerful clubs and not allow them to run away with the market.

The likes of Madrid and Citehs spending this summer would become a thing of the past, making the league far more open.

You would set the level quite hight but not too high where a billionaire investment can in essecene buy the competition.

A wage limit seperate to transfer fee's, and not on individual contract terms i.e. You get a budget of £50mill you can spend it as you choose, so you can pay a player 100 grand a week but pay others less.

Also if they set the limit quite high it wont effect the majority of the smaller teams as they wouldnt be able to afford the maximum budget in the first place....so the aims of the cap being met.

But as I said for a growing club like ourselves this would be bad news, as all the years of building up to a certain level you are the prevented moving onwards (not a proplem for us at the mo ).

Once again let me say i am against the idea. But if I did support a lower league team I think my opinion may differ.

I think I agree with your point but that's precisely why while they gave in on financial fair play the big clubs would draw the line at a salary cap. The irony of course being that Peter Hill-Wood and the Arsenal Board would back a salary cap 1000% and even appear bent on practiocng one when its not mandated by anyone