Standing up for big spending football clubs isn't egalitarian
There is a perverse article in The Times today by Stefan Syzmanski, which argues that UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules are elitist. I’m afraid I can’t link the article, because the newspaper expects people to pay for journalism. FFP requires football clubs to stay solvent and dictates that their spending must be covered by income generated through football activities. The aim is to ensure competition and prevent wealthy owners from bankrolling star-studded teams without any regard for sustainability. The Premier League is still having a discussion about whether to adopt UEFA’s code, but four clubs, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, are lobbying to ensure that it comes into force. Syzmanski’s piece says that ‘big clubs’ are attempting to prevent smaller teams from challenging their ascendency. It’s a truly depressing thought that the only way to challenge football’s elite is to spend astronomical sums of money. The te...