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BUT WHERE IS FAIR PLAY?

Inter and City are in the red zone.  And the sheiks will not stop.

Wages are not decreasing, signings of the market continue: in Europe, they are not thinking about the new rules.

Analyst Deloitte: "Perhaps the clubs will ask for a postponement."

Can you imagine a Champions League without the teams from Manchester, Milan, Chelsea and Barcelona?  Science fiction.  Yet if the new financial fair play rules of UEFA had already entered into play then this would happen.  Easy objection: there is still time to remedy, given that the head of the control panel, former Belgium Prime Minister Dehaena will begin to control the balances in 2012.  True, but the accounts of several European clubs are really bad.  But, with few exceptions, the cost of transfer and salary continue to raise.  Richard Raffo, partner of Deloitte, explains: "Clubs still have those who will continue to spend and spend.  The Germans have their budgets in order.  For Italy, the country has entered a phase of austerity, but elsewhere it is living beyond its means.  It is possible that big clubs will try to delay the timing of the new fair play rules."

Negative scenario Our simulation is based on the latest available financial statements.  As the first step will be a two-year situation so we have looked at the numbers of the last two years (those of 2009 and 2010) and the aggregate net results that is the difference between costs and revenues.  So the maximum deficit allowed is 45 million?  Well, seven clubs would be out of that parameters and they are Valencia, Barcelona, Milan, Man Utd, Chelsea, Inter, and Man City.  Some of them are really in trouble, in the sense that the imbalance is so big that you can not imagine a way out.  What is amazing is the nonchalance of the "new rich" who continue to open their wallets as if the financial fair play is a joke.  These massive investments that former patrons in Moratti and Berlusconi are not willing to make to delight the fans but they are trying to balance the budgets.  Look at City for example.  In the last two years, they have put themselves in the red zone with 249.million euros, and just for this year alone, a decline is expected to be -143 comparing to 2010.  Despite this, Mansour continues to spend 60 million during this summer transfer market.  It is true that the entry in the Champions League will increase revenue and it is equally true that there is a mega agreement with Etihad Airways which will provide an extra 50 million per season.   By the way, UEFA will have their antennas up because the airline is also related to the Sheik: sponsorship can not be inflated, there is an obligation to give it a "fair value" that is the right value, in line with the transfer market.  Anyway, those are not enough tricks.  PSG have already spent 83 million euros and if the costs continue soaring then they can say goodbye to the dream of the Champions League.

Down with salaries There are positive models in Europe from Arsenal to newcomer Napoli.  Those teams are not missing but overall the situation is not good.  Because the dream of Platini ("you can not spend more than you cash in") is that the big clubs should sign a pact to moderate salaries to at least 30-40%.  Utopia?  Apparently, yes.

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport