European clubs back financial fair play rules

European football clubs (ECA) chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Tuesday reiterated his organisation’s support for the financial fair play (FPF) system put in place by the sport’s continental governing body UEFA.

At the ECA’s general assembly in Geneva, Rummenigge insisted the principle of financial “fair play” limits on big club spending “should not be considered as an attack on clubs”.

“I call on each club to adhere to the rules and I remind you that they should not be seen as an attack against clubs but as a positive development for the long-term game,” the German said.

“We shouldn’t really think that the finances of clubs are in good order,” he continued.

“Proper assessment of financial fair play can only be done when a balance has been reached after several years. We’re certainly not out of the woods and UEFA will continue to implement this project very seriously.”

The principle of financial “fair play” is to prevent clubs spending more than they earn under the threat of UEFA sanctions.

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain were among nine clubs sanctioned last season for overspending on player transfers and wages and fined 60 million euros ($82m).

“For me financial fair play is unfair,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi told AFP last week.

“It stops new investors from coming into football. It protects the big clubs, it forces small clubs to remain small clubs. If we prevent investors from coming into football they’ll go into Formula 1 or elsewhere. This is not good for football.

“We’re ready to work with this rule but I hope that UEFA is going to change it next year. A lot of clubs have complained about it.”