Salary Caps

 Association Football

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” – Bill Shankly

I try to avoid commenting on Association Football – “football” in the UK and most other places, sometimes called soccer in the US.

But, there is so much BS said and written about it sometimes it’s just unavoidable and moreover necessary.

For example:

From the Eastern Daily Press:

Norwich City's joint majority shareholder Delia Smith has reaffirmed her commitment to the club and said she has no plans to leave.

"We have to always remember that it's called sport.

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and that's how it goes. It's a roller-coaster with more joy than pain."

Ahead of Norwich City's match against Chelsea on Thursday (March 10) evening, the government issued sanctions against the Blues' owner Roman Abramovich amid links to Russia president Vladimir Putin.

In a display of support for Chelsea's Russian owner, travelling fans chanted Mr Abramovich's name in the away end which was met with boos from the City fans - including from Delia herself.

She added: "I was with our crowd and we were booing at the top of our lungs, including me, when Abramovich was mentioned.

"They had a lovely little song which was sang back at them.

"It's interesting because it's been going for nearly 20 years and it's taken a war for it to come to the surface."

Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003 and his millions have helped propel Chelsea to become one of Europe's elite clubs.

Delia pointed to the Russian owner's takeover of Chelsea 19 years ago and said it "hadn't done football a lot of good".

She said: "If you have multi-million pound players not even playing in the game and sitting on the bench while you have clubs like ours who are self-funding, sport goes out the window.

"It's so unfair."

The situation described by Delia is just completely incomprehensible to NFL fans.  The idea that soccer clubs can act as Delia says seems just stupidly crazy to American football fans!

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1665623-how-does-the-salary-cap-work-in-the-nfl

The situation has recently been highlighted by the “flight” of  Roman Abramovich – owner of Chelsea FC. Finally, after the Russians declared war on Ukraine; the UK authorities have decided that maybe having Russian oligarchs running Premier League football clubs is not such a great idea.

In order to be deemed a fit and proper person to own a football club a person need to pass a test.

What is the Owners’ and Directors’ Test?

The Owners’ and Directors’ Test outlines requirements that would prohibit an individual from becoming an owner or director of a club. These include criminal convictions for a wide range of offences, a ban by a sporting or professional body, or breaches of certain key football regulations, such as match-fixing.

The test is applied to prospective owners and directors, who are then subject to a review on a seasonal basis. You can read the criteria of the Test in full at Section F of the Premier League Handbook.

I would very much like to be able to read the criteria on this: but, the Premier League Handbook has no index so I can’t find section F!!  Deliberate or am I being a victim of conspiracy theory?

What I can tell you is that Chelsea FC fans are more than a bit upset because their oligarch has been singled out for a ban whist other (probably) just as odious fellows have not. Note Delia’s comment on Chelsea fans and their chants!

Why is this so?

A convincing case can be made that (perhaps Delia exempted) the Premier League is just a convenient way of laundering money which has been gained from either illegal or morally dubious sources.

But, wait a minute!  Last time I heard Roman has said he will sell the club and not ask for the millions he has loaned Chelsea to be repaid!

Are we to really believe that he is happy to give away millions?  Why?

Would it be to avoid any scrutiny of Chelsea FC and how it has operated under his ownership?  Now I’m in full-blown conspiracy theory!

Lest the NFL get off scot-free, we should note that there are plenty of skeletons in the cupboards of the multi-millionaires who own NFL franchises. 

 Congress may be persuaded to investigate some of them. After all, the NFL only operates a salary cap and restrictions on player movements because they did a deal with the government to exempt them from the anti-trust legislation that most American businesses have to abide by.

https://www.city-journal.org/html/bench-nfl-15465.html

There are more than a few cupboards that could not stand opening.

Congress is unlikely, in my view, to investigate as the NFL is the most popular sport in the U.S. - eclipsing baseball (also exempt from legislation, basketball, also exempt and ice hockey – exempt, and also exempt is MLS).

https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/item/how-mls-single-entity-status-works-and-its-relationship-with-antitrust-law 

This has a direct bearing on how the association football is run, financed and organised in the UK and Europe, if not throughout the known world!

The NFL owners, in order to keep producing a product that folks want to watch on TV or go to stadia and pay exorbitant prices for tickets, a beer, a hot dog and various items of team merchandise are quite happy not to have to play players what the market will bear.  It’s just good business and with the government on board it’s a no-brainer.

Why, then does the same thing not apply to soccer?

I believe a lot of it has to do with the respective fans.

NFL fans are dreamy-eyed every March because, thanks in no small part to the salary cap, they believe all 32 teams have a chance to win the Super Bowl. In theory they do.  In practice the bookies are rarely wrong and the odds reflect this.  By contrast, soccer fans are much more realistic and consequently more sanguine about their teams’ chances.  They accept that if their team is not one of the top six (for wins and also for money spent) they are just making up the numbers.  So crazily tribal are they that the foolishness of their situation is lost on them.  Like lions led by donkeys and financed by shady dealers and downright crooks they cheerfully continue to line the coffers of the already obscenely rich.

Any chance this might change?  No.