Champions League? In Debt? Forget It.......

[MrsRam]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1281524/Champions-League-Forget-Debt-ridden-Chelsea-Manchester-City-Liverpool-face-exclusion-future-UEFA-set-ratify-new-financial-fair-play-rules.html

Just six of the current Premier League teams would be permitted to qualify for future European competitions under new UEFA 'financial fair play' rules, which are due to be introduced on Thursday.

European football's governing body is set to decide that clubs will only be allowed to enter the Champions League and Europa League from 2012-13 if they break even, meaning three-quarters of the English top flight's clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, would be ineligible under their present financial circumstances.

Michel Platini has made it his mission to rid European football of debt-ridden clubs. English clubs are now facing the prospect of having to slash their huge wage bills to balance the books, as well as reduce outlay on transfer fees.

Champions, but no Champions League: Chelsea won the Premier League title this season but would be ineligible to compete in Europe's top competition in future under UEFA's new financial fair play rules, Michel Platini's brainchild

And the Premier League has admitted that its top clubs face tough times ahead. A spokesman told The Guardian: 'The vast majority of what is being proposed is common sense, and has already [been], or is about to be, incorporated into Premier League rules.'

'If the regulations are introduced as reported, we envisage a difficult period of adjustment for our member clubs who play, or aspire to play, in European competitions.'

Clubs subsidised by loans from rich owners will also no longer be eligible for Europe under the new rules. This would hit Chelsea and City, whose losses of £47million and £93m were covered by Roman Abramovic and Sheik Mansour respectively.

Guarding the trophy: Platini has made it his mission to rid football of debt

Rich owners will only be permitted to put money into clubs through buying shares or by investment in training grounds or youth academies, but not by financing huge player wages. The rules will also allow for owners to cover limited amounts of loss: £38.5m for the three years from 2012, reducing to £25.5m over the following three years.

Financial results from 2008-09 - the most recent figures available - show that the Premier League's other big loss-makers included Liverpool, who were £55m in the red, Aston Villa, who lost £46m and Sunderland, who were £26m down. 14 clubs in total made substantial losses.

Manchester United made a profit only because of Cristianio Ronaldo's world record £80m transfer to Real Madrid.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1281524/Champions-League-Forget-Debt-ridden-Chelsea-Manchester-City-Liverpool-face-exclusion-future-UEFA-set-ratify-new-financial-fair-play-rules.html#ixzz1D4qg5aMa

[FHM]

I can't be bothered about this Donkey Cup anymore.

[Donny Ram]

I thought Chelski had their debt written off by Abramovich before Christmas.

My understanding of the proposals is that they are still being debated as sponsorship is a grey area, certainly this was a discussion point on Talk Sport last week. Man City signed a new sponsorship deal to cover their huge wage bill and hence technically comply with the proposed regs in their current format.

It's rummoured that only teams who play in France will be allowed to compete in the Champions League in the future, if Plantini gets his way!

[froggg]

Like the sound of this, a few loans going out from the euro elite perchance??