4-4-2 magazine has published the results of their latest fan census which includes some interesting views on football finances. 75 per cent of fans think that Premier League footballers earn too much and only 2.6 per cent think they earn too little.
4-4-2 magazine has published the results of their latest fan census which includes some interesting views on football finances. 75 per cent of fans think that Premier League footballers earn too much and only 2.6 per cent think they earn too little.
Consistent with that view over two-thirds favour a salary cap, as do some influential individuals within the game but American experience suggests that it can be difficult to enforce. The Uefa financial fair play rules will to some extent act as an aggregate wages cap for top clubs but not for individual players. Half of the fans responding favour performance-related pay, but players are unlikely to agree to that. Equally, clubs are unlikely to vote for a fairer distribution of TV money which 72 per cent of fans back. Push that too far and top clubs could go for a Spanish solution where contracts are negotiated individually.
35 per cent of those responding went to live games in the Premier League, but 50 per cent preferred watching Premier League football and another 21 per cent the Champions League. This reflects the fact that 65 per cent of fans pay to watch live football on television. Fans are quite willing to pay even more for live football with 56 per cent saying they would still buy tickets if prices went up by 20 per cent.
80 per cent of fans expect a Premier League or Football League club to go out of business within the next three years. I think that the risk is far greater for Football League clubs which are less attractive to prospective investors. This particularly applies to League 1 and League 2 clubs.