RTG Recommends Financial Fair Play

Last month RTG reported on the likelihood that Manchester City or Chelsea would fail UEFA’s financial fair play rules (FFP) and whether UEFA would have the stomach to enforce them. Without looking at the empirical evidence RTG suspected that neither would meet FFP rules or make much effort to do so. We have found a site – www.financialfairplay.co.uk that provides detailed evidence and analysis to suggest we were correct.

Astonishingly, the assumptions made are generous to the extreme i.e. City to win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup and that they would continue to increase their commercial revenue as dramatically as they have done so over the last couple of years. And still, they do not come close. We strongly recommend a visit to the site.

New TV Deal – Same Old Rip Off

The new TV deal that has been struck between the Premier League, Sky and BT is the richest ever and will be worth just over £3bn (a 70% increase on the last agreement). The team finishing bottom in season 2014/15 will actually make more money from TV than Manchester City did last season as champions. The deal is worth 10 times the original Premiership deal back in 1992 – considered even then as a ridiculously large amount of money.

Like the original deal, the money will be coming from supporters’ and subscribers’ pockets. Note also that, in that same period, admission prices have increased by a similar amount. Again like the original deal, this huge windfall will not be spent at grass roots level or in the development of our national game, but will go on players’ wages and agents’ fees. And once again it will be the supporters who are short changed.

Adding injury to insult is the announcement that the number of games shown live will increase to 154 – nearly 43% of all matches. Expect even more disruption to supporters with changes to kick off times and disruption to travel plans.

Media Reporting Fans the Flames of Euro Racism

When the media reported on the potential for racist chanting and violence in the run up to Euro 2012, it appeared that they were almost licking their lips in anticipation of trouble – particularly with the now absent English hooligans to follow and bait as in previous tournaments. In fact, some of the language in relation to the Ukrainian and Polish supporters was positively offensive.

Nobody wants to see a return to the UK’s dark old days of neo fascist supporters groups so it is essential that these issues are brought to the fore. But if we are to pinpoint racism amongst football crowds, there are very few (if any) European nations who remain totally guilt free. It seems hypocritical, therefore, for the English media to take this rather patronising and holier-than-thou attitude in the way they did (not to mention the fact that the ex-England captain will shortly be making a court appearance on racism charges).

Rather than going on the offensive toward the Poles and the Ukrainians, they should really have focused on UEFA’s constant inability over the last ten years to punish perpetrators across Europe as a whole (including players, coaches and supporters) and paying lip service to the campaign against racism.

Italian PM Laments Football’s Warped Morals

“Football should be stopped for two to three years. It is not a proposal by the government but a question I am asking as someone who was passionate when football was still football. It’s particularly sad when a world which should be an expression of the highest values – sport, youth, competition, fairness – turns out to be a mass of foul play, falsehood and demagoguery.”

Mario Monti, Italian Prime Minister

Words of wisdom from Mario Monti, Prime Minister of Italy, in response to yet more match fixing and corruption allegations within the Italian game.

As RTG has written previously, the more money that floods into the game, expect to see more corruption – a situation not helped when the world’s governing body is one of the worst culprits.