Salary Caps: Why Should They Be Implemented?

The scene: Manchester, England. The time: August 2009.

After purchasing Manchester City Football Club for a whopping $369 million, new owner Mahnsour bin Zayed Al Nahyan has wasted no time in stealing some of the best players from his league rivals. At summer’s end, over $192 million was spent signing big-name players like Emmanuel Adebayor, Gareth Barry and Carlos Tevez. City, who finished 10 out of 20 teams in the English Premier League, has now risen in a matter of months from an average team to one capable of winning it all. Such a leap can be traced exactly to the enormous wallet of Al Nahyan, one of the members of the ruling family in the United Arab Emirates.

Forget the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Yankees; the spending power of these two does not even come close to the new ownership at Manchester City.

How are teams at the bottom of the English Premier League supposed to react? Minnows like Hull City, Stoke City and Wigan Athletic have minimal budgets for signing players in the offseason. And what is different from American sports, the bottom three teams in the league are relegated to The Football League. Think of the New York Yankees finishing last in Major League Baseball and being demoted to the minors.

As repetitive as the league has become, it brings up a good question: should there be salary caps in the world of European soccer?

In terms of increasing the competitive nature of the European game, the obvious answer would have to be. “Yes.” Since 1995, only three teams have won the English Premier League title: Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea. Add to that the fact that since 2005, the biggest four clubs in terms of spending power (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United) have finished in the top four every year.

According to former Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan, “The Big Four's dominance threatens the division. The league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world."

Furthermore, after the current economic crisis, there is an increasing trend for clubs to go into financial trouble and face bankruptcy due to poor accounting and financial management. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) needs to get involved to provide a continental framework for a salary cap to prevent debts from stockpiling. By using the revenue a club brings in from merchandise, sponsorship, television and ticket sales, a proportional transfer expenditure fund could be created.

The debt-ridden English club Portsmouth needs a payment of $9.5 million in the coming weeks just to stay in operation. Rules like this would certainly help protect against such issues.

The challenge will be creating a network to enforce these policies across Europe. Currently, UEFA has no such standards or ways to enforce these rules. Also it is highly unlikely that the richest clubs will agree to such a system. But if agreed upon, a salary cap would go a long way to securing the stable and more competitive future of European soccer.

From Russia With Love

Don't you just love it when minnows of the Champions League get results against the comepetition's traditional heavyweights? Well today in Kazan, Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan managed to hold Inter Milan to a 1-1 draw.

An 11th minute goal from Kazan forward Alejandro Dominguez put the Russian club ahead:




Inter's Dejan Stankovic equalized 16 minutes later:



This is Inter's second consecutive draw in the competition. They previously battled Barcelona to a goalless draw at the Camp Nou two weeks ago.

Kazan frustrated the Italian side for much of the night. Milan should also feel relieved that they did not lose three points completely, as they finished the game with ten men after a Mario Balotelli red card.

Results like this are few and far between. But it is always refreshing to see one of the "Big Boys" have to fight their hearts out for a single point.

9/27: Weekend Round-Up

Here's a look at some of the headlines from across Europe:

-In the Italian Serie A, Sampdoria maintain their surprise position at the top of the table while Juventus wastes a valuable opportunity.

-In Spain's La Liga, Barcelona and Real Madrid continue their unbeaten streaks.

-In England's FA Premier League, Wigan upset Chelsea and Arsenal squeak by Fulham.

-In France's Ligue 1, Lyon takeover the top spot on the table.

-In the Scottish Premier League, Celtic win and Rangers are held to a draw.

-In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich stumble against Hamburg.

And last, for your viewing pleasure, the YouTube Clip of The Day.

Trouble At Fratton Park

The headlines out of England this morning report that FA Premier League club Portsmouth is on the brink of going belly-up. This comes after the worst six-game start in the history of the league, having scored only three goals while giving up 12.

Apparently the team needs £6 million in cash in the very near future or will cease to operate in the top division. What a sad turn of events for the club that won the 2008 FA Cup.

The crisis stems from the ownership takeover by Sulaiman al-Fahim (pictured above) and the mounting club debts. Most, if not all, of Pompey's best players have been sold in recent months.

In the current economic climate, I am surprised that stories such as this one are not more common. However, the game is above all a business. And just like any company, the mismanagement of funds is a critical mistake that in this case may cost Portsmouth dearly.

Fantastic Five: World's Best Forwards

Throughout the year, I will be compiling lists detailing the best things in the world of soccer.

Today we focus on strikers who are assasins with the ball at their feet:

5. Karim Benzema

The Frenchman arrived at Real Madrid this summer as part of the new, "Galacticos." Quietly, his efficiency in front of goal has made him one of the best strikers in Europe.

4. David Villa

While short in stature, this Spaniard helped lead his country to Euro 2008 glory. Currently playing for Valencia CF, he might make a big-money move to a higher-profile club.

3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The big Swede has joined forces with Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Combining a potent mixture of freakish athleticism and guile, he has somtimes gone missing during the big games.

2. Fernando Torres

The Golden Boy of Liverpool, Torres can poach goals with the best in the world. Alongside Villa, these two will make up the Spanish frontline for years to come.

1. Lionel Messi

Small in size but overflowing with talent, this Argentine can also be deservedly called the best player in the world. His header led Barcelona over Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League Final in Rome.

City To Fight Charge

Manchester City's manager Mark Hughes plans on fighting the improper conduct charge handed down to Emmanuel Adebayor by the Football Association.

Along with the improper conduct charge, Adebayor was handed a three-match ban for intentionally trying to stomp Arsenal's Robin Van Persie.

I know that City is doing this to try and protect one of their best players. But I must say that Adebayor's child-like actions need punishing. What he did on that field last Saturday made him seem like a petulant, overpaid brat.

City fans say that he was just acting out of emotion, that it was a split-second outburst in the heat of the moment. During his 80-plus yard sprint to the Arsenal fans, don't you think that he had adequate time to decide what actions to take? Give me a break people.

I am glad that the FA handed down such a harsh penalty. But his improper conduct charge must stand. If the FA were to overturn this, this would be a straight shot to the belly of their credibility. An example needs to be made out of "Moneybayor" to show the rest of the league such deliberate actions have no place in the game.

CR9 Bags Brace

(Photo from The Guardian)

After his $130 million world-record transfer, Cristiano Ronaldo finally earned part of his paycheck by scoring two goals in Real Madrid's 5-2 win over FC Zurich. In the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, the Swiss side were actually in the game until the very end. Only a Ronaldo goal in the 89th minute and a Guti goal in injury time pushed the game wide open.

While Madrid's new team has looked great up front with new additions Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso, the defense has instead been a question mark. In order to achieve the great aspirations of the Champions League and La Liga, the team must come up with answers in a hurry.

See both of CR9's goals here.

Monday Update

The FA Premier League announced today that starting next year, teams must submit a squad of 25 players, 8 of which must be home-grown. The ruling is aimed at limiting the amount of foreign players being bought in the transfer market and increasing the amount of English players in the top division.

As much as the Premier League has benefited from having the likes of Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba plying their trade in the country, the worrying trend for clubs is to look abroad for new talent. The young, English talent in the developmental setup of most clubs therefore has not allowed the chance to flourish.

A couple of years ago, a club like Arsenal did not have a single English-born player in its starting eleven. With the new rule having been on the horizon for a couple of years now, clubs have started integrating more English into their squads. Arsenal now boasts at least three English players that have made their first-team debuts in the past year.

I commend the Premier League for this new ruling. England is one of the last places in Europe that has adopted such restrictions for its soccer league, and it seems to be about time.

Premier League Saturday

(Photo from the Daily Mail)

European club soccer resumed this weekend. There were some interesting scores that came out of England and the FA Premier League.

In Manchester, the cash-reinforced squad of Manchester City managed to blow by Arsenal by a score of 4-2. Netting the decisive goal for City was ex-Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor. Adebayor's departure from the London squad this summer was a bitter affair and he has publicly stated how overjoyed he was to leave the team. In his goal scoring celebration today, the Togolese forward blatantly taunted Arsenal fans while doing his best to show Arsenal just how much they are missing without him.

At White Hart Lane in London, defending champions Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-1. The Red Devils were down to ten men after Paul Scholes' dismissal in the second half.

A stoppage-time goal from Florent Malouda gave Chelsea a 2-1 win at Stoke City.

At Anfield, Liverpool ran riot against newly-promoted Burnley winning 4-0.

What stood out today was just how tough Manchester City looked against top-four rivals Arsenal. This could be the year City becomes one of the top teams with all their new arrivals. If Arsene Wenger and Arsenal are going to hang onto a Champions League spot this year, they will need to get better in a hurry.

Weekly Round-Up

With the entire world of club soccer on a break, World Cup qualifying has taken center stage. So far, the nations of South Africa, England, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Paraguay, Ghana, Australia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea have punched their respective tickets for South Africa 2010.

It is crazy to think the World Cup is only nine months away. Let us just hope that the stadiums can get completed in time for play to start!

Here are a few tidbits from around the world of soccer this week:

-England's manager, Fabio Capello, is determined to make sure his side's camp is not involved in a media circus like World Cup 2006

-The U.S. National Team is still learning lessons while dominating CONCACAF competition

-Scotland's James McFadden scores on an amazing run versus Macedonia

Domestic seasons kick into high-gear after this week, so come back for the latest news.