Post by Webster on May 21, 2019 14:48:29 GMT
The Guardian: Manchester City and PSG should be thrown out of Europe, says La Liga president
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are “playthings of a state” who should be kicked out of European competition for violating Financial Fair Play rules, the La Liga president has said.
Javier Tebas, who has run Spanish football’s top league for the past six years, also warned English clubs they would be making a huge mistake if they backed a proposed new European Super League as it would “ruin” domestic football.
Tebas reserved his fiercest criticism for Manchester City and PSG, whom he warned were putting the entire football industry at risk because of their massive spending power and behaviour.
“There are clubs who could not care less what their real incomes are when they want to sign a player because they receive incomes from a state,” said Tebas, citing City and PSG by name. “It forces other clubs into an economic situation which is really living on the edge. It skews the balance of the entire European football structure. This is no longer sport. This is no longer an industry. It becomes more like a toy, the plaything of a state. And when it’s a plaything, kids start playing with other kids. You end up ruining the entire system.
“Indeed the origin of this entire problem with the Super League is the inflationary effect that Manchester City and PSG have created across the whole of Europe because the rest of the clubs in Europe want money to compete with these guys.”
Manchester City last week reacted angrily after a Uefa investigation into allegations of financial fair play irregularities, which could lead to a Champions League ban, was sent for a final judgment at the governing body.
City argue the investigatory chamber is mistaken and has not fully considered the club’s response to allegations they misstated multimillion-pound sponsorships in their financial fair play submissions more than five years ago.
City said: “Manchester City is entirely confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body. The accusation of financial irregularities remains entirely false and the CFCB IC referral ignores a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City to the chamber.”
Javier Tebas, who has run Spanish football’s top league for the past six years, also warned English clubs they would be making a huge mistake if they backed a proposed new European Super League as it would “ruin” domestic football.
Tebas reserved his fiercest criticism for Manchester City and PSG, whom he warned were putting the entire football industry at risk because of their massive spending power and behaviour.
“There are clubs who could not care less what their real incomes are when they want to sign a player because they receive incomes from a state,” said Tebas, citing City and PSG by name. “It forces other clubs into an economic situation which is really living on the edge. It skews the balance of the entire European football structure. This is no longer sport. This is no longer an industry. It becomes more like a toy, the plaything of a state. And when it’s a plaything, kids start playing with other kids. You end up ruining the entire system.
“Indeed the origin of this entire problem with the Super League is the inflationary effect that Manchester City and PSG have created across the whole of Europe because the rest of the clubs in Europe want money to compete with these guys.”
Manchester City last week reacted angrily after a Uefa investigation into allegations of financial fair play irregularities, which could lead to a Champions League ban, was sent for a final judgment at the governing body.
City argue the investigatory chamber is mistaken and has not fully considered the club’s response to allegations they misstated multimillion-pound sponsorships in their financial fair play submissions more than five years ago.
City said: “Manchester City is entirely confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body. The accusation of financial irregularities remains entirely false and the CFCB IC referral ignores a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City to the chamber.”