Joke Of A Punishment

Last month, I posted that I thought the European footballing body UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rule was a joke. I thought no one is taking it seriously and it’s not worth the paper it is written on.

I have been proven right.

9 teams have been found to have breached the FFP rules, of which English Premier League champions Manchester City and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint Germain (PSG) are the biggest names on it. So what’s their punishment for not following the FFP rules?

Manchester City have been fined £49m, £32m of which is suspended, and can only name a 21-man Champions League squad next season. City can only spend £49m on players this summer, and their wage bill for 2014-15 must stay the same as this season. PSG have said that their punishment is similar to City.

Please forgive me while I laugh at this joke of a punishment. City was found guiltily of overspending and their punishment…is a fine of £17m? They posted losses of £149 million during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons and their fine is £17m? That is a joke almost as funny as the one that state they can “only” spend £49m on players.

It seems that the clubs that are ignoring FFP were right. With these jokes as punishment, the FFP rule is not worth the paper it is written on.