Do you back a wage cap in football?

[FSF]

The Football Supporters' Federation are conducting a quick straw-poll of fans up and down the country. There's only two questions, and it will only take a minute to fill in. We'd be much obliged if you could. Just follow the link below

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[phantom]

bloody right i do the amount these footballer earn is disgusting.

I think there should be a transfer cap too i mean 80 mil fro one player thats just taking the p*ss

[Jome_ITFC]

Only if it's global.

[barmy billy]

I'm all for a cap on wages, but I'd rather see a cap on the number of foreign players allowed to play in this country.

[phily bon bon]

I'm all for a cap on wages, but I'd rather see a cap on the number of foreign players allowed to play in this country.

My view is as i wrote in the questionere I agree with the above

[Charnwood]

I'm all for a cap on wages, but I'd rather see a cap on the number of foreign players allowed to play in this country.

Why not do both?

There must be a limit to what fans will/can afford to pay to watch football and I'd guess that ceiling must be pretty close and in some cases exceeded given the worrying trend in falling attendances.
I think Norwich (96% full) are the only side in the Championship that have fewer than 20% of seating regularly empty and the majority of stadiums are less than 2/3rds full.

[Johannes Hyacinthus]

Cap on wages... and also clubs not being allowed to get into so much debt. I think they are not allowed to do that in France and Germany, which means they can't compete so easily against teams from England, Spain, Italy. Why is that fair? Don't give a f*ck if the PL suffers or we are not so competitive in the Champions League... most of these clubs are foreign-owned, have foreign managers and have mainly foreign players... so where is the pride of having an english team doing well.
Can't see it happening... too many people in high places with too much to lose. They do put out a decent product which the masses seem to lap up even though it could mean the game suffering. Hey... we all know Simon Cowell and his wanky, chavvy assembly line X-factor bollocks is ruining music... but still the dumbed down masses tune in and give him money... so why should football be any different?

[marko69]

What is the reason for that Charnwood? Is Norfolk a richer area of England?

[bluemalc]

Cap on wages... and also clubs not being allowed to get into so much debt. I think they are not allowed to do that in France and Germany, which means they can't compete so easily against teams from England, Spain, Italy. Why is that fair? Don't give a f*ck if the PL suffers or we are not so competitive in the Champions League... most of these clubs are foreign-owned, have foreign managers and have mainly foreign players... so where is the pride of having an english team doing well.
Can't see it happening... too many people in high places with too much to lose. They do put out a decent product which the masses seem to lap up even though it could mean the game suffering. Hey... we all know Simon Cowell and his wanky, chavvy assembly line X-factor bollocks is ruining music... but still the dumbed down masses tune in and give him money... so why should football be any different?

anyone that slates x-factor I find hard to disagree with!

[bluemalc]

What is the objective in capping the wage?
If a club can afford to pay a player a huge salary, then why shouldnt they?

My own view is - I'm not sure. It depends on what level they cap the salaries. For instance, if they cap at 100K per week, so various players have to come down from say 150-180 to 100K - then I cant really see it making much difference. It's still a huge amount of money to be paid per week. In fact, this is why I asked the question above - what difference would we be trying to achieve by bringing salaries down? Trying to motivate players to play better football? How would that work?
Perhaps you could argue that if you seriously capped wages down to say £2K per week (that being max, many players would be getting in the region of £500 per week) then football would suffer initially and then you would start to see only people who really want to play playing, rather than wanting the bling. But I cant see wages being capped to that extent - so then whats capping it just a bit going to achieve?
Also if wages were capped by that degree, then clubs would be making an absolute killing in profits... so hand in hand with cutting wages should be reducing ticket prices by similar ratio.

I think, in an ideal world, ticket prices would be much much cheaper - clubs wouldnt be in a position to offer such outrageous wages and transfer fee's, and players would be playing primarily out of love of the game/team and for money comparible to the rest of the working population.... how on earth you take steps to achieve that I have no idea. Effectively means taking football backwards a few decades.

[Jamma123]

What is the objective in capping the wage?
If a club can afford to pay a player a huge salary, then why shouldnt they?

My own view is - I'm not sure. It depends on what level they cap the salaries. For instance, if they cap at 100K per week, so various players have to come down from say 150-180 to 100K - then I cant really see it making much difference. It's still a huge amount of money to be paid per week. In fact, this is why I asked the question above - what difference would we be trying to achieve by bringing salaries down? Trying to motivate players to play better football? How would that work?
Perhaps you could argue that if you seriously capped wages down to say £2K per week (that being max, many players would be getting in the region of £500 per week) then football would suffer initially and then you would start to see only people who really want to play playing, rather than wanting the bling. But I cant see wages being capped to that extent - so then whats capping it just a bit going to achieve?
Also if wages were capped by that degree, then clubs would be making an absolute killing in profits... so hand in hand with cutting wages should be reducing ticket prices by similar ratio.

I think, in an ideal world, ticket prices would be much much cheaper - clubs wouldnt be in a position to offer such outrageous wages and transfer fee's, and players would be playing primarily out of love of the game/team and for money comparible to the rest of the working population.... how on earth you take steps to achieve that I have no idea. Effectively means taking football backwards a few decades.

You talk a lot of sense for someone who likes the X Factor!

[J4ck22]

What is the objective in capping the wage?
If a club can afford to pay a player a huge salary, then why shouldnt they?

Because it's a rediculous amount for playing football... Average Premier League players make more money in a week than some people make in a year or even in a lifetime.

[Charnwood]

What is the reason for that Charnwood? Is Norfolk a richer area of England?

Much of Norfolk is very poor with low household incomes and higher unemployment than the national average, although contrary to this Norfolk has a wealthy retirement population made up of an increasing influx of wealthy property owners who choose to live in the attractive coastal villages that locals can no longer afford to live in. However I doubt that many of the new arrivals go to Carrow Road and having lived in Norfolk for a few years I guess that much of their support will come from home bred fans who can find nothing else to do in a county that has little to offer younger people. It's also a place so out on a limb that people who like football have little choice than to support the local side so it's a case of either take it or leave it. As far as I'm aware there's also no other professional sport played in the County unlike many other places in the country where you have choice, for example where I live I'm within 20 miles of Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers Rugby, Derby County FC, Nottingham Forest FC, Notts County FC, Nottingham Panthers (Ice Hockey), + regular horse racing fixtures at Leicester & Nottinghham. In Norfolk it's Norwich City or f*ck your sister!.... which probably explains why so many go to Carrow Road.

[arana peligrosa]

they do have Kings Lynn FC in Norfolk.

The Linnets or something I think they are, almost went out of business last year I read.

I'm 100 per cent behind wage caps and salary restrictions, just going over old ground here, but it absolutely stinks what some players are getting today, horrible snidey little pricks like Terry and Rooney, on top of other bonuses, and all for kicking a goddamn ball about a field for 90 minutes a week (sometimes less), or not even playing at all.

I was reading (Jimmy) Greaves autobiography the other night and he talking about when we was at Tottenham back in the early 1960s and I think he was one of the first £100 a week players, a team mate, The late Bobby Smith went to see then manager Bill Nicholson and asked if he could have the same wages as Greaves, and was told Nicholson that we was one of the best players in the world and deserved to be on £100 like Greaves.

'That might be your opinion Son, but it isin't mine' he was told.

nearly 40 years on and today it's just freaking absurd really, £80,000,000 transfers, £220,000 a week goddamn salaries, I don't where it will end but it really is a sad state of affairs.

Just think of the good all those excess wages could do in third world countries and to those really in need. It does hack me no end.

I really do think £5,000 is enough for any player to get by on, and even then I'm thinking even that is too much an amount.

to one extent it's not about soccer anymore, more about mercenaries and how much they can get the hands on, only a few mind, but what can you do.

[marko69]

What is the reason for that Charnwood? Is Norfolk a richer area of England?

Much of Norfolk is very poor with low household incomes and higher unemployment than the national average, although contrary to this Norfolk has a wealthy retirement population made up of an increasing influx of wealthy property owners who choose to live in the attractive coastal villages that locals can no longer afford to live in. However I doubt that many of the new arrivals go to Carrow Road and having lived in Norfolk for a few years I guess that much of their support will come from home bred fans who can find nothing else to do in a county that has little to offer younger people. It's also a place so out on a limb that people who like football have little choice than to support the local side so it's a case of either take it or leave it. As far as I'm aware there's also no other professional sport played in the County unlike many other places in the country where you have choice, for example where I live I'm within 20 miles of Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers Rugby, Derby County FC, Nottingham Forest FC, Notts County FC, Nottingham Panthers (Ice Hockey), + regular horse racing fixtures at Leicester & Nottinghham. In Norfolk it's Norwich City or f*ck your sister!.... which probably explains why so many go to Carrow Road.

Very very well worded, and explained beautifully........, the choices at the end are comedic genius!

[ATB]

Salary cap is a good idea if it's managed appropriately...

I think there should be a system that rewards good management of a club...

For example...

The total salary for a squad cannot exceed £??? + a certain percentage of the clubs annual profits...

that means clubs that make more profit have extra purchasing power and it gives an incentive to manage a profitable organisation.


I also think that there should be mandatory relegation clauses for players and coaches...

[crazee]

they do have Kings Lynn FC in Norfolk.

The Linnets or something I think they are, almost went out of business last year I read.

They did go bust and reformed under a new name (Kings Lynn Town FC) but can you count a team 40 miles from Norwich and about 6 leagues below them as competition.


As for a wage cap - it would have to be global or talent would just move to the area that can afford to pay more but getting players to agree to a wage cap/cut? I don't think that will ever happen.

[ATB]

they do have Kings Lynn FC in Norfolk.

The Linnets or something I think they are, almost went out of business last year I read.

They did go bust and reformed under a new name (Kings Lynn Town FC) but can you count a team 40 miles from Norwich and about 6 leagues below them as competition.


As for a wage cap - it would have to be global or talent would just move to the area that can afford to pay more but getting players to agree to a wage cap/cut? I don't think that will ever happen.

When you say global, you really just mean it would need to be applied to the Spanish, Italian, French, and German league... no other competitions come close to the salaries paid in those comps..

[Johannes Hyacinthus]

What about pay per play... therefore more motivation to actually play games and fringe players might then prefer to play Championship football, rather than be PL squad players.
I've got no problem if footballers have a succesful career over 10-12 years and end up millionaires... but look at someone like Lee martin...he's someone who has got a million pound plus contract without doing nothing to earn it.

[bullardm2001]

Salary capping is a good idea but unfortunatley will never work. As was mentioned before it would have to be a global rule of which laws would have to be changed to accommodate - cant see it happening unfortunatley.

[Johannes Hyacinthus]

Salary capping is a good idea but unfortunatley will never work. As was mentioned before it would have to be a global rule of which laws would have to be changed to accommodate - cant see it happening unfortunatley.

Isn't that what we've got UEFA and FIFA for? No-one said it would be easy or quick ... it can be done, but I don't think there is the desire for change. I'm sure they would like the richer clubs to get richer and there to be a European super league eventually. Be great for people to travel abroad for league games for those that can afford it .. prawn sandwiches would be considered slum food... more like lobster and fois gras for the 'fans'.

[ATB]

Salary capping is a good idea but unfortunatley will never work. As was mentioned before it would have to be a global rule of which laws would have to be changed to accommodate - cant see it happening unfortunatley.

why would it never work???

Heaps of sports have salary caps world wide including

The NBA
The NFL
Major League Soccer
Major league baseball has a luxury tax which taxes salaries paid over a certain amount

The National Rugby League competition in Australia has a salary cap
AFL in Australia has a salary cap
as does the A-League
The J-League in japan

[Andym]

What is the objective in capping the wage?
If a club can afford to pay a player a huge salary, then why shouldnt they?

My own view is - I'm not sure. It depends on what level they cap the salaries. For instance, if they cap at 100K per week, so various players have to come down from say 150-180 to 100K - then I cant really see it making much difference. It's still a huge amount of money to be paid per week. In fact, this is why I asked the question above - what difference would we be trying to achieve by bringing salaries down? Trying to motivate players to play better football? How would that work?
Perhaps you could argue that if you seriously capped wages down to say £2K per week (that being max, many players would be getting in the region of £500 per week) then football would suffer initially and then you would start to see only people who really want to play playing, rather than wanting the bling. But I cant see wages being capped to that extent - so then whats capping it just a bit going to achieve?
Also if wages were capped by that degree, then clubs would be making an absolute killing in profits... so hand in hand with cutting wages should be reducing ticket prices by similar ratio.

I think, in an ideal world, ticket prices would be much much cheaper - clubs wouldnt be in a position to offer such outrageous wages and transfer fee's, and players would be playing primarily out of love of the game/team and for money comparible to the rest of the working population.... how on earth you take steps to achieve that I have no idea. Effectively means taking football backwards a few decades.

The purpose of capping salaries is simply, as you presumed, to bring down the costs so ticket prices can be reduced at the higher levels, and football can survive at the lower levels.

I accept that footballers, as entertainers, will earn significant sume if they are the best, but I would propose:
(a) a salary cap that is affordable at prem and championship level, together with
(b) appearance money on top.

This would mean that a playuer could actually earn more by playing in the championship than sitting on his @r$e with a prem club.

Regarding the comments about restricting foreign players, I think it wold be hard to restrict European players as there is supposed to be an open market regarding employment, but lower basic salaries would go some way to limit it anyway, as players understandably flock to the highest payer.

It would be good if it were a Fifa-led initiative, but the chances of sense coming from Fifa is about the same as the chances of the Pope allowing contracep........oh, wait a minute....

If not, we should go it alone for the good of football and the preservation of football at all levels.

[bluemalc]

What is the objective in capping the wage?
If a club can afford to pay a player a huge salary, then why shouldnt they?

My own view is - I'm not sure. It depends on what level they cap the salaries. For instance, if they cap at 100K per week, so various players have to come down from say 150-180 to 100K - then I cant really see it making much difference. It's still a huge amount of money to be paid per week. In fact, this is why I asked the question above - what difference would we be trying to achieve by bringing salaries down? Trying to motivate players to play better football? How would that work?
Perhaps you could argue that if you seriously capped wages down to say £2K per week (that being max, many players would be getting in the region of £500 per week) then football would suffer initially and then you would start to see only people who really want to play playing, rather than wanting the bling. But I cant see wages being capped to that extent - so then whats capping it just a bit going to achieve?
Also if wages were capped by that degree, then clubs would be making an absolute killing in profits... so hand in hand with cutting wages should be reducing ticket prices by similar ratio.

I think, in an ideal world, ticket prices would be much much cheaper - clubs wouldnt be in a position to offer such outrageous wages and transfer fee's, and players would be playing primarily out of love of the game/team and for money comparible to the rest of the working population.... how on earth you take steps to achieve that I have no idea. Effectively means taking football backwards a few decades.

You talk a lot of sense for someone who likes the X Factor!

I hate X-Factor!!

[Jamma123]

What is the objective in capping the wage?
If a club can afford to pay a player a huge salary, then why shouldnt they?

My own view is - I'm not sure. It depends on what level they cap the salaries. For instance, if they cap at 100K per week, so various players have to come down from say 150-180 to 100K - then I cant really see it making much difference. It's still a huge amount of money to be paid per week. In fact, this is why I asked the question above - what difference would we be trying to achieve by bringing salaries down? Trying to motivate players to play better football? How would that work?
Perhaps you could argue that if you seriously capped wages down to say £2K per week (that being max, many players would be getting in the region of £500 per week) then football would suffer initially and then you would start to see only people who really want to play playing, rather than wanting the bling. But I cant see wages being capped to that extent - so then whats capping it just a bit going to achieve?
Also if wages were capped by that degree, then clubs would be making an absolute killing in profits... so hand in hand with cutting wages should be reducing ticket prices by similar ratio.

I think, in an ideal world, ticket prices would be much much cheaper - clubs wouldnt be in a position to offer such outrageous wages and transfer fee's, and players would be playing primarily out of love of the game/team and for money comparible to the rest of the working population.... how on earth you take steps to achieve that I have no idea. Effectively means taking football backwards a few decades.

You talk a lot of sense for someone who likes the X Factor!

I hate X-Factor!!

Sorry to insult you through not reading your post properly!

[bullardm2001]

Salary capping is a good idea but unfortunatley will never work. As was mentioned before it would have to be a global rule of which laws would have to be changed to accommodate - cant see it happening unfortunatley.

Isn't that what we've got UEFA and FIFA for? No-one said it would be easy or quick ... it can be done, but I don't think there is the desire for change. I'm sure they would like the richer clubs to get richer and there to be a European super league eventually. Be great for people to travel abroad for league games for those that can afford it .. prawn sandwiches would be considered slum food... more like lobster and fois gras for the 'fans'.

The European Union would be the first hurdle. When I said laws I menat the labour laws of the land & europe - not the footballing laws.

[Johannes Hyacinthus]

Salary capping is a good idea but unfortunatley will never work. As was mentioned before it would have to be a global rule of which laws would have to be changed to accommodate - cant see it happening unfortunatley.

Isn't that what we've got UEFA and FIFA for? No-one said it would be easy or quick ... it can be done, but I don't think there is the desire for change. I'm sure they would like the richer clubs to get richer and there to be a European super league eventually. Be great for people to travel abroad for league games for those that can afford it .. prawn sandwiches would be considered slum food... more like lobster and fois gras for the 'fans'.

The European Union would be the first hurdle. When I said laws I menat the labour laws of the land & europe - not the footballing laws.

Explain? Which laws say that paying a player, say, 20K a week, is not enough? Maybe the first hurdle is convincing some fans that they are paying for the lifestyles of people who don't give a f*ck about them.

I would love Wayne Rooney to take this to the European Courts saying that his human rights have been abused and he needs 200k a week to put food on the table. Someone mentioned other countries who have wage caps - it does happen.
Maybe thats the reason why we have a European Community? Not just to bail out Ireland.

[Charnwood]

Rather than having an individual player salary cap why not follow Rugby's example in the Guinness Premiership where all teams have to work within a Club Salary Cap which is currently set at £4m. Although this limit is currently under debate having not changed for 3 years the principle is sound, and is applied to the best of my knowledge world wide, although the amount varies in each country to reflect different costs of living in different parts of the world.

I'm not sure what The Premiership Cap would need to be but £50m wouldn't be a bad starting point and would make the league far more competitive and hopefully cheaper for spectators. Whatever the limit chosen could certainly be applied across UEFA's territory which would at least cover the whole of The Champions League region.

In Season 2006-07;

Chelsea's wage bill was £133m
Man. Utd. wage bill was £92m
Arsenal's wage bill was £89m

Meanwhile the same three clubs which dominated The Premiership also carried the largest debts with Chelsea £620m in debt, Man Utd £650m in debt, and Arsenal £268m in debt. How can this be fair when a club like Blackburn Rovers trys to compete paying wages of less than £40m pa and another 7 Premiership Clubs try to compete paying less wages than Blackburn.

The sooner we can get our football on a more level playing field the better for our National Game which is in serious decline and not just at Portman Road.

[arana peligrosa]

I'm not sure there's not much anyone can do, I do think it'll get worse before it sorts itself out, kick out the mercenaries, restore some common sense in salaries, to hell with those £100,000 a week crap, I'm sure players would be able to get by with a fraction of that, if Rooney or whoever was on £100 a week from now until the end of time they'd survive sure enough, whether they'd actually bother to play is another thing.

It's essential for the long term benefit of the game to introduce salary restrictions.

[bullardm2001]

Rooney would probably have a case due to the vast amount of money in football from TV. His argument would be that he is what people are paying to watch and therefore would be entitled to a % of the money ?

It's messy which ever way you look at it. For it to work you would need every team to agree to it and then the players contract's to be changed (over time).

The NBA was mentioned. This type of salary cap to me seems pretty useless. As far as I understand there is a cap in place, however if you go over it all that happens is that you pay penalties. So with regards to Man City they just carry on as normal paying the penalties. There would have to be something more significant in palce for it to work IMO.

Too many people have too much to lose IMO and therefore (unfortunatley) it will not happen contructively. I feel that some kind of melt down is the only way soemthing like this be put in place.