By David Gold
March 29 – Football Association general secretary Alex Horne has said that English football has a decision to make about the state of the game’s finances, whilst chairman David Bernstein suggested that there may have to be measures designed to control the spiralling finances in the game.
The pair were speaking at the Parliamentary inquiry into football governance being carried out by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, who have labelled football the worst governed sport in Britain.
Horne said: “This is a decision moment for the game.
“I think it’s time to consider closing the gap between the salary cap that exists in League Two and UEFA’s financial fair play system.
“This is the moment to reach across all four leagues and look at appropriate cost control measures.
“That would chime with the position of the Football League and their concerns about the debts of clubs.”
UEFA have created financial fair play rules to force all clubs competing in European competition to spend only what they can make sustainably in revenue.
France have a similar concept in their leagues, with the Direction Nationale de Contrôle de Gestion the regulatory body charged with overseeing French football finances, and they have powers ranging from banning clubs from signing players to relegating teams who fall foul of their guidelines.
Bernstein believes that the UEFA model is one which could be adapted to the Premier League and Football League.
“I’m not saying they agree that at the moment, we have yet to explore some of these things but I’m hopeful,” he said.
“It’s a journey I think we have to take and we will be taking it quickly and working with them, and I hope for a positive conclusion.”
Bernstein also said that he has called a meeting of all club chairmen and chief executives in the Premier League and Football League to discuss future financial controls.
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