For all the perceived Financial Fair Play huffing and puffing, it remains a joke.
Earlier in the month when Chelsea were signalling another massive spend, I checked on the last round of fines which had been levied by UEFA in September 2022. As usual a total of 172 million euros have been fakely brandished, as the eight clubs fined only had to pay 26 million euros between them, the 172M being a fictitious ballooned figure if they don't pay the fine promptly. Paris St. Germain the biggest offender paid 10 million - the pretend figure was 65M- a laughable amount that would be a fraction of any player they might buy. Further these fines dated back to a few seasons before which lets the team skirt the law and then profit from the players on their books for several seasons before facing the wrath of UEFA if at all.
19 other clubs (such as Man City and Chelsea) avoided fines because of 'relief measures' (covid) which UEFA themselves instituted - you can't make this up. So, for anyone paying a little close attention, the idea that FFP has been effective to curb spending is a laughable notion.
Regarding Todd Boehly and the obscene Chelsea spend (clever as it amortizes the spend over 8 years which will now be 'banned' next season), whilst the average football fan is intensely annoyed by this my view is there are many within the industry which really like this. It underlines that the Premier League is the monster earner on the global sports stage and people enjoy the swag of it all. UEFA and many PL executives are fine with all other national leagues and clubs being little more than feeder clubs for the PL if these clubs come knocking. And, there is nothing to dissuade sovereign wealth funds and billionaires from thinking this is a really interesting investment play (especially in the PL) in regards that billionaires have mopped up all the US sports franchises (NFL, NBA etc) for decades already.
It's gross but unavoidable.
My own perspective? Clubs need to get their scouting act together like the brilliantly run Brighton and Hove Albion. Find the uncut gem players, bring them in for a few million, develop and sell them on for tens of millions in profit. For all the hundreds of million spent this window, many have said investing a few millions in each teams scouting system would make for a much better investment that buying some players.
