Question of the Week: Transfer Cap

[its_slash]

Remember, if you have an idea for a question you would like to see, PM it to me, and each week one question will be selected based on the quality of the question and it's subject. I will not choose the questions on my own, but this is the best way to ensure that we don't keep discussing the same things.

Help us send Lil Wayne a dictionary by sending a question.

Although the thread body that I copied states that I won't choose the question by myself, I did. I have some more ideas for the upcoming weeks and could come up with other too. However, suggestions are welcome, so that we can create interesting disscussions.

The Question:

Should UEFA introduce a seasonal/annual/biennial/etc. transfer sum limit to its rules ?


Past Questions:

2011

13/9 - What will football be like in 50 years?
19/9 - What are some rule changes that would improve the game?
3/10 - The European Super-League Discussion
11/10 - How would you spend 50m?
19/10 - Why does ____ underperform?
26/10 - How to stop Barcelona?
13/12 - What players have you come to respect/dislike?
20/12 - Who will win the Euros?

2012

2/1 - Should the Prem introduce a winter break?
9/1 - Who is the most two-footed player?
15/1 - What is the toughest position?
23/1 - Who is Portugal's Revelation Player for 2011?
3/2 - Should the Old Firm compete in the English leagues?
13/2 - Is Guardiola Overrated?
24/2 - Who are the German league's best players?
6/3 - Which players messed up their careers by switching clubs?
13/3 - What is the most shocking transfer of all-time?
16/5 - Your Favorite Player (NOT based on performance)?
10/6 - The 2016 Euro Expansion
12/7 - Best Goal Ever?
3/8 - World Cup vs. Champions League Discussion
13/8 - Yugoslavia
19/8 - Confederations Cup
25/8 - Standarized Pitch Sizes
27/8 - What Transfers Would you Like to See?
3/9 - Most Interesting Team of the New Season
10/9 - Cup-Tied Restrictions
18/9 - The Perfect Footballer
26/9 - Best One-Trick Pony
3/10 - Best Young Goalkeeper
10/10 - Best Goalkeeper Ever
17/10 - A World Without Football
24/10 - Best Utility Player
31/10 - Who will have a Breakout Season?
9/11 - Who will be the Best Players of the Future?
19/11 - Who Carries his Team the Furthest?
27/11 - Who is Exceeding Expectations?
4/12 - Who is Performing Below Expectations?
10/12 - How Young is Too Young?
20/12 - Cristiano Ronaldo - All-Time Great?
30/12 - The Winter Transfer Window

2013

7/1 - Italy's Wonderkids
18/1 - Messi at a Mediocre Club
29/1 - Greatest Transfer Successes/Failures
5/2 - Who are the Eredivisie's Best Players?
3/3 - Best Youth Products XI
8/4 - Homosexuality in Football
18/4 - Sexiest Footballer
26/4 - Expected & Desired Transfers
2/5 - Dawn of the German Era?
8/5 - Fergie's Retirement
19/5 - Seasonal Eurovision
19/8 - League's Best 11 (without Top Teams)
28/8 - Looking Back at the 2012 Draft

 

[its_slash]

This starts bugging me every time I start thinking about it.

How many records will be broken in 5 years ? How about 10 years ? Will we see a $/€/£ 500 milion transfer. Now it sounds crazy (to me), but the prizes in local and continental tournaments keep becoming bigger and, hey, how about adding another 5 mil to the prize pool ? Noo, let's make it 15 . . . You sure? Cause the guys from * * * * * are considering a sponsorship contract that . . . and so on. Money spins it.

It's also interesting whether football academies will produce such talent/s that could be evaluated with the future progressively increasing transfer sums (aren't there already enough cases of, I'm sorry, overpriced players). Or whether more and more clubs would be taken over by oil/gas/whatever billionaires and be deprived of their genuine approaches to football.

Should UEFA consider a rule which restricts clubs from spending, for example, more than €60 milion for a player, €100 milion Euro for a season and € 250 milion over 3 seasons ? Or limited to a per cent of the club's revenue or profit or something ?

If you have any clearer thoughts and/or revolutional ideas, give a shout . . .

 

[Mandieta6]

Clubs can only spend what they earn (theoretically and with some caveats, of course), so I don't see the point in such a cap. It would mean much less sales, especially of established players, so we'd get many more youngers players being bought and uprooted (which is already the trend, anyway).

If a club can afford it, and wants to do it, so be it.

 

[Sepak]

Are all babies safe from Sir_Didier_Drogba?

 

[its_slash]

Clubs can only spend what they earn . . .

 

[Sir Didier Drogba]

This is a good question.

My inclination is no. Caps always seem bad for the quality of the league, just look at MLS. Also, theoretically effective FFP should act as a sort of spending cap on transfers.

There are other watered down versions that could be considered, such as a limit on the number/percentage of transfers from overseas or outside EU. You couldnt really cap number of players, because sometimes newly promoted teams need to sign a bunch of cheap players just to have a decent size squad.

Also, would a spending money cap be net or gross (ie would money made from sales be deducted?). Also, would wages be taken into consideration?

 

[Mus]

I hate caps, the world isn't fair - stop trying to make it so

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Doesn't really make sense IMO. It's not like a closed American league with a draft that makes this kind of thing easy. A transfer cap wouldn't solve anything anyway IMO, the real change, if that's what you want, would have to come from a salary cap. However I'm almost positive that it is illegal; the only reason it's not illegal in the USA is because of either anti-trust exemptions or collective bargaining, neither of which would be present in a UEFA wide mandate.

 

[Bobby]

How would you set the limit anyway? Would it be a hard figure or a figured tied to turnover?

 

[yoyo913]

The reason salary caps work in the NBA or NHL is because all 30 teams are relatively big cities. The biggest cities have an advantage (like NY or LA) because of their advertising market size but the playing field is more level than soccer.

In soccer you get teams that can pop up from small cities like Siena, who have a capacity and attendance of 15,000 maximum. Meanwhile Juve's capacity is 41,000. If Juve had a team as good as Siena than fewer fans would go to their matches. Sure Siena would get max attendence every game if they were champions but that would hurt the league's revenue overall so therefore it would be counterproductive from the federation. Big clubs should have better teams because they can generate more money and fans.