Portsmouth, Sunderland, Ipswich and clubs opposing cap slammed for not thinking of game's best interests

Pompey aren’t thinking about the good of the game in opposing the wage cap voted into the EFL.
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That’s the claim of a football finance expert, who feels they are showing ‘poor form’ in their campaign against the ceiling which was given the green light by League One and League Two clubs earlier this month.

The Blues are continuing their fight against the salary cap and squad restrictions agreed at a vote of members and are refusing to rule out taking legal action moving forward.

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Pompey have been joined by clubs like Bradford, Sunderland and Ipswich in publicly airing their disapproval to the cap.

But Rob Wilson, a sports finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, feels they aren’t seeing the importance of the ceiling in saving clubs from financial meltdown.

He told the Yorkshire Post: ‘The Football League needs better regulation to improve financial sustainability and suppress wage inflation.

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‘In my view, if it does not act now, we will be talking about ten, 15 or maybe 20 clubs going into administration in the next two years.

Pompey CEO Mark CatlinPompey CEO Mark Catlin
Pompey CEO Mark Catlin

‘If anyone who has a beef with the salary cap is happy for teams to go out of business up and down the country and for fans to go without football and for people to experience what Bury FC did, then that is poor form as far as I am concerned.

‘We know about the financial disparity between the haves and have nots and what a salary cap will do is provide a fairer system in the league which will improve competitive balance and the upshot will hopefully be better broadcast deals and sponsorships and higher gate receipts.

‘Long term, it will provide not just financial sustainability, but prosperity in the league which will naturally lead to increases in the cap or relaxation of certain regulations.

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‘The overall impact will be to suppress wage inflation which has been outstripping income for years. It also gives owners a level of protection and takes out some of the emotion for the owners and chairmen to make rational decisions rather than irrational ones.’

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