Roman plots to KO City's spending
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ROMAN ABRAMOVICH is backing UEFA to crack down on Manchester City's spending power - because he does not want to flash any more cash himself.
UEFA president Michel Platini has vowed that any club which does not break even in the next three years will be kicked out of European competitions. And he is being spurred on by Chelsea's billionaire owner Abramovich, who has spent £700m on the Blues in six years but no longer wants to pour his fortune into the club.
And he does not want anyone to forge ahead of Chelsea either. City have spent £120m in this transfer window alone in a bid to gatecrash Europe's top table compared to Chelsea's £23m.
But UEFA has adopted the mantra of 'financial fair-play' in a bid to make the European game a more level playing field.
Platini is proposing clubs can only spend what they earn in football revenues. He said: "It's mainly the owners that asked us to do something. Roman Abramovich, Silvio Berlusconi at AC Milan and Massimo Moratti at Inter. They do not want to fork out any more.
"Manchester City can spend £300m if they want to but if they are not breaking even in three years then they cannot play in European competition. "I have met with Abramovich, who is a football person and passionate about the game. He said that we must do something about this.
"It doesn't matter if one team doesn't agree, because this is what the clubs want. "Under the new system, you will get more investors in the future because they will be able to make money. At the moment you don't get these businessmen because clubs are losing money.
"If a club can get loans from a bank to buy players and is able to pay back bank loans, then it is not a problem. But if a club gets a lot of money or subsidies from a big backer and is still in deficit in two years, then it is a problem and we don't like that."
UEFA deputy general secretary Gianni Infantino insisted: "A rich sugar daddy coming in and throwing money around is unhealthy in the medium and long-term.
"For the club to be healthy it has to live on its own means and generate income. Clubs have generated revenues by investing in things like stadiums, otherwise it is an artificial bubble which inflates the system and is unhealthy and unsustainable."
Platini's bid to curb clubs' spending comes at a time when Real Madrid and Manchester United are also coming under fire for their mounting debts.
Real's deficit is over £550m and projected to rise to a mind-boggling £900m. United's debt is expected to reach £600m by 2017 when it has to be repaid.
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cos he has burnt his fingers? haha
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he like that can, other ppl lke cannot
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Liddat Real Madrid (250mil) how?? How they gonna balance their book?? Skeptical..
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now he knows how it feels eh
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we dont have to care about how much real madrid and man chester united spend because they are the world's richest club and they would easily earn back the money. Barcelona and AC should watch out too cause sometimes they spent silly money, but given the trophies they won or can win, they can easily earn back the money too.
For liverpool, it would not be a problem, because they are always in debt.. and For arsenal it really isnt a problem right?? Every year they are making fucking huge profits from selling players....