Wednesday, February 8

Where's the money gone?

Whatever you think about the outcome of the Harry Redknapp court case, isn't it time the FA outlawed managers receiving any percentage of transfer fees?

Like bank bosses, top managers are paid enough. Surely a transfer fee for a player sold belongs to the club and should be used for the benefit of that club as a whole? Had Portsmouth not been paying a five per cent cut of their transfer profits to Harry, as they did with Peter Crouch, they might be in a slightly better financial situation now.

West Ham gave Harry £300k from the Rio Ferdinand transfer as a bonus, it emerged in court, and you suspect that this sort of thing goes on at many clubs. And surely if a manager gets a cut from selling star players this could create a conflict of interest with the long term aim of building a side? Light-touch regulation didn't work with the banks and you suspect that our laissez-faire football values need re-evaluating too.

3 comments:

footballmaestro said...

I believe its good for football managers to get bonuses from the sale of their players particulary if they had coached and developed them from youth. The managers will be rewarded for turning them into stars for their clubs and teams would benefit as they would have vastly improved squads. Unfortunatly these players inevitably move on but thats the nature of football and always will be.

Anonymous said...

Redknapp is a lovable mercenary rogue, we all know that. Taking the £300k bung for keeping stum about the Rio money was total contempt for the fans but we still love him because he's one of us, even though he lives on Sandilands

Pete May said...

Think it's fair enough that someone like Dario Gradi at Crewe gets a percentage of player sales, Football Maestro, but it seems strange that Premier League managers need a cut. Today's Guardian reveals that Redknapp already received a 500k bonus for keeping Portsmouth up in 2004 on top of his 800k salary plus ten per cent of the club's TV money - another £436k. Would have though that would be enough. Had there been no percentage on player sales for the gaffer there presumably wouldn't have been a court case.
In football terms you have to admit 'Arry is great with the media and the best qualified for the job. And if his salary is close to Capello's it should be another nice little earner!