Michel 'Platters' And His Earnings Plan

BlueWolfie sent Vital Manchester City the following.

Michel 'Platters' plan of clubs living within their mean is still doing the rounds. But will it ever happen? Doubtful, says I.

First of all clubs must be on a level playing field (no pun intended), for it to be fair and balanced. When it comes into effect clubs could spend ridiculous amounts in the run-up to such a law and then fall in line after it. That means for every professional club in the world taxation must be the same, subsidies too, and of course the movement of players. If not (which is the case at present), then several clubs will be at a far greater disadvantage to others. This is not forgetting those in the upper echelons already earn far more and therefore would be more likely to stay there (perhaps Platters plan all along). However, what exactly are, earnings?

The legal definition states: the share of a company's profits remaining after the distribution of dividends that is kept as capital. Fair enough, but what constitutes a specific line of income as earnings?

Obviously, there is TV revenue, advertising, ticket sales, merchandise, and selling of players, for example. However, a gift or donation is, under British law counted as an 'earning'. On top of that there is no law stipulating how much any organisation can charge for a service, so long as it is transparent.

Result?

Those clubs who have big backers (ourselves, and Chelsea for example), can receive a donation from their prospective owners, or charge as much as they want for an executive box, parking place, or a little board in the corner of the ground that declares the club's owners as 'a very nice person'.

What this would actually create would be a bigger problem than exists now. Clubs who spend heavily to stay where they are (or go further), would no longer be able to do so and would quickly disappear into obscurity due to lack of funds. This would leave only a relatively small hand-full of clubs (in Europe in particular) that have the means to do what ever the hell they want. Not very good for the future of the game, I'm sure you'd agree.

I do kind of understand what Platters is trying to do, but it will never work because we live in a capitalistic society and the problem that exists has essentially been created by football's governing bodies themselves. FIFA invoked the beast, and now the beast is too big there is nothing they can do about it.

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