Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, has suggested that going forward, football may need to adopt some radical financial changes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Liverpool have already set out our stall that we will not be doing big business as a result of the crisis, which is set to affect every single club on the planet in some aspect.
Infantino has discussed the idea of both a salary cap and a transfer-fee cap – two revolutionary proposals that would dramatically change how clubs are run and potentially level the playing field long-term.
“I heard some interesting proposals on a wide range of topics,” the president said, cited in the Guardian. “From salary caps to transfer-fee caps or other taxation mechanisms, to the possible obligation of governing bodies to contribute to a reserve fund which can be of assistance in hours of need such as now. Fifa is already doing a lot of work in this area, even if we face some strong vested interests who fight against our plea for better governance. These measures, projects and ideas should be discussed at all levels.
“I know that this will spark intense debate, but debate is healthy and we should speak about it as we stand together in this difficult period.”
We wouldn’t necessarily be against either. At Liverpool, our owners strongly believe in Financial Fair Play and have abided by it – and are therefore frustrated when other clubs flout the regulations so blatantly.
There is the idea that financial rules actually make it much harder for smaller clubs to climb quickly, as they cannot take advantage of a cash injection, but it does at least promote natural growth.
Manchester City begin their court case with UEFA over their Champions League ban as a result of their total disregard for FFP, today.