Post by QPR Report on Mar 24, 2009 6:37:19 GMT
Someone on the dot.org suggested that the Briatore statement re Sousa might have been some weeks ago. That hadn't occurred to me. But this article by the same author as yesterday,makes it seem like that wasn't the case.
Alessandro Poggi - Bloomberg - March 24
Queens Park Rangersâ Briatore Calls for Salary Cap in Soccer
-- Flavio Briatore, co-owner of English second-tier soccer team Queens Park Rangers, called for a cap on salaries, saying players canât be âuntouchableâ during the economic downturn.
âThe way the wages of the players are in this moment is completely wrong,â Briatore said in an interview yesterday. âA salary cap is fundamental. Itâs not possible for people investing in football to make up the difference from their pocket every year.â
Renault boss Briatore and fellow Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone bought the west London team in September 2007, and three months later billionaire Lakshmi Mittalâs family acquired a 20 percent stake. Mittal is Britainâs richest man, according to the Sunday Times, which put his fortune at 27.7 billion pounds ($40.2 billion) last April.
âMaybe the shareholder is quite a wealthy one, but the club has nothing to do with the shareholder,â Briatore said. âItâs difficult for me cutting the salaries of people working in Formula One or the employees of QPR, while the players are untouchable. Itâs about principles.â
In England, only League Two -- the fourth tier of the countryâs soccer -- has a system under which a teamâs spending on player wages is limited to 60 percent of total revenue. The higher leagues donât have such a rule.
Formula One is taking steps to curb its own spending as it seeks to stop carmakers from abandoning the sport. The FIA ruling body has said teams that adopt a budget of 30 million pounds will get more freedom to make engine and bodywork changes. Soccer needs reforms, too, Briatore said.
Platini Proposal
âWe invest the money and we want to be in charge,â Briatore said. âWe need to stay together and -- exactly like in Formula One -- we need to cut costs.â
Michel Platini, president of European soccerâs ruling body UEFA, has said a limit on the percentage of clubsâ revenue that could be spent on player transfers and wages is one possibility. English Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore opposes such a policy, saying it would entrench the top clubs.
Briatore ruled out splashing high transfer fees on âbig namesâ players at QPR.
âI donât think any big names in this moment will help us. I want to stay away from the big names. The bigger the name, the more money you lose.â
Briatore cited Ricardo Quaresma as an example of an expensive signing that hadnât worked out. The Portuguese winger was signed by Inter Milan for 18 million euros ($24.5 million) last year. He was sent on loan to Chelsea after failing to make an impression at the San Siro.
QPR is 11th in the Championship, seven points off a place in the playoffs, where teams compete for a place in the Premier League. QPR last played in the top division in 1996.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alessandro Poggi in London at Apoggi1@bloomberg.net
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601077&sid=azYMmy_sgnq0&refer=intsports
Alessandro Poggi - Bloomberg - March 24
Queens Park Rangersâ Briatore Calls for Salary Cap in Soccer
-- Flavio Briatore, co-owner of English second-tier soccer team Queens Park Rangers, called for a cap on salaries, saying players canât be âuntouchableâ during the economic downturn.
âThe way the wages of the players are in this moment is completely wrong,â Briatore said in an interview yesterday. âA salary cap is fundamental. Itâs not possible for people investing in football to make up the difference from their pocket every year.â
Renault boss Briatore and fellow Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone bought the west London team in September 2007, and three months later billionaire Lakshmi Mittalâs family acquired a 20 percent stake. Mittal is Britainâs richest man, according to the Sunday Times, which put his fortune at 27.7 billion pounds ($40.2 billion) last April.
âMaybe the shareholder is quite a wealthy one, but the club has nothing to do with the shareholder,â Briatore said. âItâs difficult for me cutting the salaries of people working in Formula One or the employees of QPR, while the players are untouchable. Itâs about principles.â
In England, only League Two -- the fourth tier of the countryâs soccer -- has a system under which a teamâs spending on player wages is limited to 60 percent of total revenue. The higher leagues donât have such a rule.
Formula One is taking steps to curb its own spending as it seeks to stop carmakers from abandoning the sport. The FIA ruling body has said teams that adopt a budget of 30 million pounds will get more freedom to make engine and bodywork changes. Soccer needs reforms, too, Briatore said.
Platini Proposal
âWe invest the money and we want to be in charge,â Briatore said. âWe need to stay together and -- exactly like in Formula One -- we need to cut costs.â
Michel Platini, president of European soccerâs ruling body UEFA, has said a limit on the percentage of clubsâ revenue that could be spent on player transfers and wages is one possibility. English Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore opposes such a policy, saying it would entrench the top clubs.
Briatore ruled out splashing high transfer fees on âbig namesâ players at QPR.
âI donât think any big names in this moment will help us. I want to stay away from the big names. The bigger the name, the more money you lose.â
Briatore cited Ricardo Quaresma as an example of an expensive signing that hadnât worked out. The Portuguese winger was signed by Inter Milan for 18 million euros ($24.5 million) last year. He was sent on loan to Chelsea after failing to make an impression at the San Siro.
QPR is 11th in the Championship, seven points off a place in the playoffs, where teams compete for a place in the Premier League. QPR last played in the top division in 1996.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alessandro Poggi in London at Apoggi1@bloomberg.net
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601077&sid=azYMmy_sgnq0&refer=intsports