Sympathy for Portsmouth and Sunderland as Peterborough chairman shares his salary cap proposal

And the Irishman has outlined his alternative wage ceiling he believes would be fairer for clubs across the third tier.

League One and League Two members are expected to next week vote on Football League plans to implement wage ceilings.

The Blues have been spearheading the fight against the introduction, which would limit third-tier clubs to a player salary cap of £2.5m with no more than 22 players above the age of 21 allowed.

Chief executive Mark Catlin has argued Pompey will not be allowed to spend what they can afford, after the club posted a profit of £2.05m and turnover of £11.57m in their most recent set of accounts.

MacAnthony can understand the frustrations at Fratton Park.

And while he’s in favour of a wage limit, he believes there should be certain markers clubs can spend depending on their turnover.

Speaking on his podcast Hard Truth, MacAnthony said: ‘I am a proponent of a salary cap. What I was saying early on in coronavirus is we needed a realignment and readjustment.

‘When you hear clubs can’t come up with £300,000 or £400,000 to finish 20 per cent of the season, which people still say I’m bitter about, there’s definitely a necessity for a salary cap if clubs are that short of money – whether it’s during Covid-19 or after.

‘It means there is too much overspending in football.

‘The salary cap has been controversial with some clubs and I understand the Portsmouths, Sunderlands and bigger clubs.

‘Let’s say Rochdale turns over £3-4m in any given year, my idea is you’d cap them in that £1.75m-2.5m mark.

‘It was like markers – if you earned under £5m then you could spend £2.5m (on wages).

“If you earned £7m, you could spend £4m. If you hit £10m, you could spend £6m and if you earned £15m then could you spend £8m.

“It would incentivise clubs to actually increase their revenues – commercially, by selling players and having better academies. The more you created you then moved up into a different camp.

‘Posh last year probably turned over £6m, so our turnover spend would fall into that £2.5m wage spend bracket.

‘But if we then sold a player and our turnover for this year was for £10m, we would be allowed to spend in the £4m bracket.

“What the Football League have done is try to simplify it - but it’s hardcore. It’s £1.5m in League Two and £2.5m in League One. We as a club can cope but a lot can’t.

‘I totally sympathise with Portsmouth and Sunderland. These are big clubs with a big fanbase and suddenly you’re telling these clubs who are already paying players seven, eight, nine grand a week that they have 12 months to get their house in order and they can only spend £2.5m a season.’