TF90M investigates whether UEFA imposing a quota on squad professionals would go a long way in securing club's financial futures and subsequently make teams more competitive...
In this troubled time of economic worries, football clubs have started to feel the effects. Darlington FC have recently enter administration, following such sides as Leeds United, Luton Town and Bournemouth Town with other teams such as Weymouth lying in financial crisis. With the problems predicted to worsen, it may soon be some of the nation’s larger clubs that suffer. Though would an imposed quota on squad size ensure a club’s financial future and preserve the competition of the game?
With plans being discussed over a ‘6+5’ quota, would a 25 man squad limit prove an additional help for all English sides? The regulation, which would be a radical change, would limit squad sizes to 25 registered professionals forcing the bigger clubs to drastically cut down the number of players in their first-team squads. With such rules already present in other Europan leagues, this rule implemented in England could narrow the growing disparity between the richer and poorer clubs.
Whilst top teams like Chelsea have spent excessive fees gaining a large squad, the rule would limit the number of registered professionals meaning the players who spend all year warming the bench may be offloaded. Whilst it is likely such a proposal would be met with scepticism by the Premiership’s top clubs who need a large squad to compete in all tournaments, for other teams it would mean less salaries and more chances to win trophies.
With the credit crunch even affecting such luminaries as Roman Abramovich, who is rumoured to have lost £12 billion, perhaps by limiting the size of the squad it will ensure the spreading crisis doesn’t destroy ‘the beautiful game’.
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