Re: O/T Financial Fair Play
The rules do have a perverseness about them. A new Sheikh or Abramovich is blocked, yet these two have put close to 2 billion into football, money that has gone to footballers, coaches and others in football. On the other hand, the rules do nothing to stop the likes of the Glazers who have taken half a billion out of football to pay interest and bank fees. It's strange that an industry draws up rules to protect those taking money out and block those putting money in.
There is an argument that the Sheikh's and Oligarch's have been great for football (and its fans). These guys lose millions every year. That effectively means that they are subsidising the ticket prices for their fans. ie. If these clubs were to be run profitably, to watch the likes of Aguero and Toure, ticket prices would be much higher than they actually are. But the likes of Mansour are eating up the difference between the ticket price and the total cost of having a team with that many superstars.
People talk about how great it is that Arsenal run the club "properly". But what does that actually mean? All it means is that they are making a profit. And profit is just money that goes from the fan's pocket to the shareholders. So what I would ask is; are the likes of Kroenke really that good for football? and aren't owners like Abramovic the guys that are actually giving value to the fans?
I also think this is why a breakaway league is inevitable.
For owners of teams like Arsenal, they will not have to worry about missing out on top 4 etc. A breakaway league will ensure that they are always part of Europe's Elite. In a locked-in-league, Arsenal will be like one of those NFL clubs that don't really ever spend big to chase the title, but just look to be a part of the league as they can continue to make massive profits without having the risk of falling out of this elite group. The risk of falling out of the top 4 and thus the UCL is the worry for them, and why they want to pull up the drawbridge.
For City, Chelsea, PSG etc, pulling up the drawbridge ensures that no-one else can come in and challenge their quest for glory. In addition, being in a breakaway league will benefit them as they will not have to put up with the "nonsense" and limitations that UEFA sets on them. UEFA have to accommodate a whole host of European teams. Hence the introduction of FFP. What is really needed for these elite teams however is an organisation that just serves them. A breakaway league is the only and inevitable solution.
A breakaway league is the only logical solution to the current problems of unfairness that FFP proclaims to address. In essence, FFP tries to solve the inherent advantage that some clubs have due to their almost limitless spending power. The owners with the limitless spending potential feel it's unfair that they are not allowed to spend their own money in whatever way they wish to do so. They argue that there should be a free market. Therefore the obvious solution is to separate these two groups, by introducing a breakaway league. And ultimately, the clubs that FFP, UEFA (and the Football League’s Financial Fair Play) were trying to protect, will be the only ones worse off.
On a side note, this is why when people argue that the likes of Arsenal (or any other team that plays weakened teams) should be banned from the FA Cup, their arguments will never be genuinely considered by the FA. If you do ban these clubs, all that will happen is the FA Cup will lose even more glamour and prestige. If you take the top clubs out of the FA Cup, you might as well call it the FA Trophy. And on that same note, if you take the top clubs out of the Premier League, it really will be no different to The Championship.