Unbelieveable comments today from Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge about big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.
Rummenigge, who is also the President of the European Club Association, believes that PSG should face sanctions under UEFA’s Financial Fair Play for their summer spending spree, and that the idea of paying Zlatan Ibrahimovic €14 million a yea gives him “stomach ache”.
“What bothers me is Paris,” Rummenigge told L’Equipe. “When I hear the salary of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, I have a stomach ache. One year’s salary is equivalent to that of Javi Martinez over five years.”
Speaking about some of Bayern’s other Champions League rivals, Rummenigge said:
“When I look at their spending, Manchester City (€54 million this summer) or Chelsea (€100.7 million)… I think that these clubs have huge losses.
“All have an obligation to respect that the rules of fair play require that financial losses should not go beyond €15 million per season.”
He called on European football’s governing body to stay strong on FFP and make sure clubs that flout the rules are made to pay.
“It is for UEFA to ensure that these clubs face sanctions,” he said. “Paris can’t spend €100 million each year for five years, because we can’t spend more than we won.”
Th4 idea of Financial Fair Play makes sense, but would Uefa really ban the potential French champions (PSG), Russian champions (Zenit) and English champions (Manchester City) from the Champions League? I don’t think so. Would they ban the likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid or Barcelona? I don’t think so.
And ultimately, clubs will find a way to get around FFP by signing a massive sponsorship deal with someone they are affiliated with. If Manchester United can get over £50m a season from a shirt sponsorship deal with Chevrolet, what is to stop Gazprom giving Zenit £75m a season? Nothing and that is why FPP has no teeth.
