Lib Dems tell football to copy America
Football has been advised to follow the example of American Football and create a level-playing field for clubs to compete upon.
Responding to today’s All Party Parliamentary Football Group’s inquiry, the Liberal Democrats added their support to the idea of a wage-cap to stop clubs from going into administration.
The report suggested that serious changes need to be made in the way the clubs ran the rule over their finances, with limiting the amount spent on wages one of their key recommendations.
And that is something which Liberal Democrats shadow secretary for culture, media and sport, Don Foster, agrees with, suggesting that football needs to “get to grips with the financial rift” in the sport.
He believes that the English game should take a leaf out of the book of their American colleagues, who have already implemented a wage cap scheme to good effect.
“In the US, wage capping has been used to help fund new franchises,” Mr Foster added.
“Teams like the Carolina Panthers, who went from nothing to the Superbowl in a decade, show how a level playing field can help keep a sporting competitive edge.”
The report also made recommendations on the way the Premier League deals with its broadcasting deals, suggesting that some Premiership games should always be made available on free-to-air channels.
It also advised that crucial England qualifiers receive ‘listed’ status, and that 10 per cent of television revenue be made available to the “rest of football”.
