Article Taxonomy: Financial Fair Play (FFP)

UEFA’s requirement for football clubs to balance their books. The rules also specify that clubs keep up-to-date with their taxes, their transfer fees and pay player wages on time.

Chelsea could play at Twickers

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Chelsea have held preliminary conversations with the Rugby Football Union about playing for a season at Twickenham while Stamford Bridge is redeveloped.   If nothing else, it would be convenient for Chelsea players who favour living in Cobham.

Chelsea have long wanted to increase capacity at Stamford Bridge from 41,800 to 60,000 to rival the gate revenues of Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as providing more corporate facilities.   This would make it easier for them to comply with financial fair play regulations.

Liverpool may face FFP sanctions

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Liverpool may pay a penalty for their return to the Champions League in the form of financial fair play sanctions.   They are expecting £7m in prize money next month, but the payment would be withheld if they are referred to Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body.  

Harry gives it large

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No surprise there, but this time Harry Redknapp is unhappy about financial fair play rules as they affect Queens Park Rangers.

He argued: ‘To make it fair play we should be able to spend as much as Manchester United spent.  That would be fair?  Fair play would be everybody having £30 million or whatever to spend on the team.  You have seven teams at the top on another planet.’

Where should FFP fine money go?

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It has been argued that as many as half of the clubs in the Championship could fall foul of the new financial fair play regulations, although figure is on the high side given the legitimate deductions that can be made from losses such as for youth development.

Clubs like Charlton are lobbying for a share of any fines imposed.   Their chief executive Katrien Meire estimates that they could receive £2m from a share of any fine on QPR.

QPR fine threat

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QPR face future exclusion from the Football League if they do not pay a financial fair play fine which could be as much as £40m.   They would then have to play in the Football Conference.

QPR chairman Tony Fernandes has vowed to fight any fine, which does seem disproportionate.  He may have grounds for doing so as there are question marks about the compatbility of the rules with competition law.

Are Hull City now bigger than Juventus?

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Hull is a city I enjoy visiting, but it hardly matches Turin.  Juventus have won the Italian title thirty times and have been European champions twice.   Not so long ago Hull were languishing in the fourth division.  Yet in the summer transfer window Hull, determined to stay in the Premier League, spent more than Juventus.

Wenger thinks that playing field is levelling up

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger thinks that financial fair play is hitting home and levelling the playing field in the Premier League to give Arsenal a better chance.

He commented, ‘I would say that the balance of power is a bit more even that it was five or six years ago.   That’s because of Financial Fair Play, added to us having more financial power than five years ago.  That gives us a better chance.   A few seasons ago, I was thinking ‘Who will go next?’