SPORTS NOTES EXTRA Part 2 - SEEK & YOU SHALL FIND RESULTS - December, 2008

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

An averaging system could be implemented whereas an average of all salaries spent per year throughout the league could be applied. That figure could be increased X percent per year as they do in the USA. Any clubs over the average could hold their interest but have to get down to the average over a three year period. - Part 1 FOOTBALLS TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Saturday December 13, 2008

The Integral Fabric of the Game

The reality is that spending money for expensive acquisitions doesn't always translate into wins. In July 2000 Florentino Pérez was elected Real Madrid club president with the promise to sign the world's best players to compliment Raul and Roberto Carlos. The signings included then-FC Barcelona star Luis Figo. Pérez continued to sign star players such as Zinedine Zidane (2001), Ronaldo (2002) and David Beckham (2003). It was then that the media began referring to the team as Los Galácticos.

Loaded with stars Real Madrid won La Liga in 2001 and 2003 and the UEFA Champions League in 2002. They also won the Intercontinental Cup, the European Super Cup and the Supercopa de España in both 2001 and 2003. With all of those stars Real Madrid have failed to win a major trophy from 2003 through 2006. Raul is the only player from that group that remains on the squad.

One problem is the raiding trend that is happening in football which we mentioned in our September column after which a hail storm of controversy followed about our concerns regarding salary caps and more stringent control over raiding other clubs for their talent while spending of large sums of money to do so. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The practice creates a pirate like atmosphere with little respect or regard for others. The game is moving more towards lacking principals. Lets not forget that Ramos was a part of the currently poplar raiding trend.

Ramos resigned from a successful managerial career with Sevilia where he won five titles in two seasons including back to back UEFA Cups, the European Super Cup. He resigned and left for money and more fortune with the Spurs October 27, 2007.

The win at any cost can eventually destroy the integral fabric of the game and will send the wrong message to the youth of the world where the focus on greed and the lack of integrity will chew up and spit out the sport. There needs to be some governing body to institute some control and organization of the three major leagues in Europe to discourage raiding and function on a more honorable basis. There needs to be a club salary cap.

Uefa president Michael Platini favors a salary cap based on a percentage of a club's revenue. English Premiere League boss Richard Scudamore disagrees citing it would be a disadvantage for smaller clubs. He also noted that in the leagues in the USA only have to focus on playing in one country while Leagues in Europe compete with each other. They're both right but shortsighted. They're looking at the game the way it was and not the way it's gong.

Scudamore is wrong. A cap is feasible but not on a revenue based system. All clubs in football will be sought after by foreign interest with money. It is the fashionable thing to do for many of the wealthy to own a football club. Money is buying clubs in lower divisions simply to be involved in the game. Money can't buy you love but it can buy you a football club.

There could be a cap which applies to all clubs such as in the leagues in the US where there is a team cap not a cap on individual salaries. If the cap is $X million per club per year they could spend 90% for one player and split the rest. Of course that is an exaggerated example but that's how it could work.

An averaging system could be implemented whereas an average of all salaries spent per year throughout the league could be applied. That figure could be increased X percent per year as they do so in the USA. Any clubs over the average could hold their interest but have to get down to the cap over a three year period or pay a severe penalty. This would have to apply to all of the three major leagues in Italy, Spain and England. There are ways to do it but it takes a willingness to do so.

Eventually weaker clubs quite possibly could be approached for buying in on a partnership basis to bolster their player purchasing power. Why buy in? There is major ego in sports ownership. As the revenue streams increase with the ongoing advanced Internet technology, all clubs will become more valuable. One of the reasons that there are only four clubs which are thought about to be capable of winning the English Premiere League title is due to a lack of a guideline to bring everyone on to a level playing field.

Foreign interests are buying into football. The money is outside of England, Spain and Italy where they have the strongest leagues who are most active in spending money for acquisitions. Has everyone forgotten the uproar Man U fans raised when those (bloody) Americans the Glazier family bought Man U. They hung and burned the Glazier's in effigy. Since the club has been successful the Glazier's presence is now all of a sudden acceptable. Obviously winning titles changes angry attitudes into being pleasant and compatible.

The NBA's David Stern was in England for NBA exhibition games this fall. That was the perfect time for Scudamore and Platini to discuss the subject with Stern and come up with a workable solution. The bottom line is a solution... USE IT or the consequences could be LOSE IT, the integrity of the game.

Part 1 FOOTBALLS TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

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