Post by QPR Report on Jan 17, 2009 9:32:56 GMT
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PFA's Give Me Football - Has the football world gone mad?
PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor thinks that maybe it has
By Dave Smith January 16, 2009
PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor remains unconvinced that the ‘deal or no deal’ situation regarding Kaka’s proposed move to Manchester City would be good for the future of the game.
Everyone has an opinion on a potential history-making moment in sport, and most responses are in the negative; with only a few in the positive.
It would seem that the only positive noises are coming from within Eastlands where Manchester City fans are licking their lips at the prospect of the best players on the planet wearing their colours.
But below the Sky Blue are clouds of concern, not least from the head of the PFA who makes a number of valid points in his exclusive column on givemefootball...
• It is a bit bizarre that, in these times of credit crunch, we are talking about a club paying £100m for one player;
• One of the things we have to ask is...is football sending out the right signals given the current financial climate? Football needs to set a good example to the rest of the world, as we do with our anti-racism programmes and Community projects;
• Another question: will such a massive investment be to the detriment of the club’s successful Youth Academy – and where does it leave people like Micah Richards and Stephen Ireland. Will others be allowed to follow suit?;
• You also have to ask yourselves ‘have City made a rod for their own back?’ because, given the extreme wealth of their owners, surely selling clubs are going to up their prices for players when City come calling;
• It is all very exciting for City fans, but what happens if, or when, wealthy owners pull up the drawbridge, move on to something else and leave the club in financial trouble?;
• Football cannot be immune from the credit crunch and whilst City are an exception to the rule, the game has a duty to show financial propriety at this moment in time;
• The transfer window has encouraged clubs to spend more than their income – it’s a case of ‘buy in haste, repent at your leisure’;
• Maybe it has reached the time when the football authorities should take more control over club owners and establish whether wealthy investors are here for the long haul, and check whether their investment in clubs is of a gift nature or merely a loan which will have to be paid back later;
• It is incredible to think that City, so far, cannot find substantially smaller amounts for Bellamy or Santa Cruz, but are prepared to shell out more than £100m on Kaka;
• Mark Hughes has been put in an invidious position – he can buy the most expensive toy in the shop, but would he be happier with a less expensive toy that works?
Finally, and the bottom line is...whilst it would be great to have a player like Kaka, a world class performer, displaying his talents in the Premier League, what will the price turn out to be in the long run – both for the club and the game in general?
Only time will tell and we await the outcome with interest. Watch this space.
www.givemefootball.com/pfa/pfa-news/has-the-football-world-gone-mad-
PFA's Give Me Football - Has the football world gone mad?
PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor thinks that maybe it has
By Dave Smith January 16, 2009
PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor remains unconvinced that the ‘deal or no deal’ situation regarding Kaka’s proposed move to Manchester City would be good for the future of the game.
Everyone has an opinion on a potential history-making moment in sport, and most responses are in the negative; with only a few in the positive.
It would seem that the only positive noises are coming from within Eastlands where Manchester City fans are licking their lips at the prospect of the best players on the planet wearing their colours.
But below the Sky Blue are clouds of concern, not least from the head of the PFA who makes a number of valid points in his exclusive column on givemefootball...
• It is a bit bizarre that, in these times of credit crunch, we are talking about a club paying £100m for one player;
• One of the things we have to ask is...is football sending out the right signals given the current financial climate? Football needs to set a good example to the rest of the world, as we do with our anti-racism programmes and Community projects;
• Another question: will such a massive investment be to the detriment of the club’s successful Youth Academy – and where does it leave people like Micah Richards and Stephen Ireland. Will others be allowed to follow suit?;
• You also have to ask yourselves ‘have City made a rod for their own back?’ because, given the extreme wealth of their owners, surely selling clubs are going to up their prices for players when City come calling;
• It is all very exciting for City fans, but what happens if, or when, wealthy owners pull up the drawbridge, move on to something else and leave the club in financial trouble?;
• Football cannot be immune from the credit crunch and whilst City are an exception to the rule, the game has a duty to show financial propriety at this moment in time;
• The transfer window has encouraged clubs to spend more than their income – it’s a case of ‘buy in haste, repent at your leisure’;
• Maybe it has reached the time when the football authorities should take more control over club owners and establish whether wealthy investors are here for the long haul, and check whether their investment in clubs is of a gift nature or merely a loan which will have to be paid back later;
• It is incredible to think that City, so far, cannot find substantially smaller amounts for Bellamy or Santa Cruz, but are prepared to shell out more than £100m on Kaka;
• Mark Hughes has been put in an invidious position – he can buy the most expensive toy in the shop, but would he be happier with a less expensive toy that works?
Finally, and the bottom line is...whilst it would be great to have a player like Kaka, a world class performer, displaying his talents in the Premier League, what will the price turn out to be in the long run – both for the club and the game in general?
Only time will tell and we await the outcome with interest. Watch this space.
www.givemefootball.com/pfa/pfa-news/has-the-football-world-gone-mad-