UEFA chief warns clubs about dangers of high wage bills

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The organization’s Chief Executive, Lars-Christer Olsson is urging clubs to keep their wages in line with turnover in order to avoid financial difficulties. He proposed a policy in which wages should represent a certain percentage of a club’s turnover.

“We would like to reduce the costs for players because this is the major expense of clubs" Olsson said. "Even the big clubs, making EUR 100 or EUR 200 million a year experience difficulties with finances as wages are taking so much out – and it also means that money leaves football. In our view, it's not a proper investment, even seen from the business point of view. We are not talking about capping individual wages, we are more talking about the global amount of wages only being a certain percentage of the turnover.”

Olsson added: “If they are paying one player like that and they are paying other players much less, it could make sense. When you are raising the salaries of the other 24 players in the squad, it creates the enormous costs.”

Olsson also said that the average fan is having trouble comprehending players’ wages.

“We are facing a problem with credibility in a way, but you can always compare one of the big footballers to one of the big rock stars – why shouldn't they make as much money as the rock stars? So from the players' point of view, I can't see that they should say 'we step down in respect of wages. My point is that we have the view of the spectators. This is where we have to be careful – but the clubs also have to take care of their costs.”