Alex Ferguson's idea : Champions League qualification by invitation only .

Leiva

Last night Alex Ferguson made a suggestion that maybe UEFA should change the rules and make Champions League qualification by invitation only .

Alex Ferguson:
"The only deterrent to that is UEFA. In the conditions of European football, you don't qualify for Europe by winning the league or coming second - you only get in by invitation.

It seems that the suggestion is being made to stop and prevent massive money being spent by clubs on players trying to reach the Champions league , and was made in conjunction to comment about PSG spending a massive €150million in a month on transfers.

Surely if this was to be introduced then UEFA would be accused or bending over to the super clubs and creating a monopoly etc .

discuss...

Pepe LeFrits

I'd rather the national associations just deducted 1 point for every €1m loss a club made

Ardent

Ferguson in bitter-auld-bastard-rant shocker.

He's just unhappy at having been trumped by PSG for one of his transfer targets.

I am pie

Fergie's feathers have been well and truly ruffled by the likes of City and Chelsea domestically, they can't compete with the lure of Real and Barca in Spain and now PSG can blow them out of the water in the transfer market too.

The solution is to correctly impose the spending rules devised by UEFA and ensure a level financial playing field, rather than create an old boys network of fading glories.

Still, if old red nose's idea was implemented, it might mean Liverpool qualify again.

I'm all for it : )

Donnielighto

Terrible idea, just impose ffp properly. Have a max of 2 teams from each league also.

28064212

Ehh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he saying that UEFA competitions are already invite-only? They just, by default, extend invitations to the top clubs in each league. That's how the Financial Fair Play regulations work, they won't invite teams that don't meet their regulations

everdead.ie

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I'd rather the national associations just deducted 1 point for every €1m loss a club made

Perhaps on a three year rolling basis or something similar to FFP rules so it allows clubs to spend money on a player to streghthen there squads. So if you make a big buy then it evens out over a few years.

Mitch Connor

28064212 wrote: »

Ehh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he saying that UEFA competitions are already invite-only? They just, by default, extend invitations to the top clubs in each league. That's how the Financial Fair Play regulations work, they won't invite teams that don't meet their regulations

Yeah - but don't let any form of reality get in the way of calling Fergie bitter or senile.

TheTownie

28064212 wrote: »

Ehh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he saying that UEFA competitions are already invite-only? They just, by default, extend invitations to the top clubs in each league. That's how the Financial Fair Play regulations work, they won't invite teams that don't meet their regulations

At least theres one person on here who grasped what Fergie was talking about. Bravo!

:P

As for the rest... continue as you were..

GavRedKing

As long as UEFA apply the F.F.P. equally to all clubs then thats the only way I want to see them implement.

Donnielighto

28064212 wrote: »

Ehh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he saying that UEFA competitions are already invite-only? They just, by default, extend invitations to the top clubs in each league. That's how the Financial Fair Play regulations work, they won't invite teams that don't meet their regulations

Didnt realise that, quote makes more sense now. has that always been the way?

v3ttel

28064212 wrote: »

Ehh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he saying that UEFA competitions are already invite-only? They just, by default, extend invitations to the top clubs in each league. That's how the Financial Fair Play regulations work, they won't invite teams that don't meet their regulations

Who do you think you are?

Coming in here with your sense or reality and your lack of bitterness towards Fergie/United?

You sir, have no place in this thread.

Red Crow

I think it would be completely viable to have a competition with the old boys clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Manchester United, Liverpool etc. and exclude Man City, Chelsea, PSG etc. but why should Real Madrid be able to pay a fortune on players and get away with it? Ok, Kaka' and Ronaldo etc. would of been considered a better 'class' of player in comparison to Aguero, Ibra, Lucas Moura etc. It doesn't change the fact that Barcelona pay the highest wages in Sport with Real Madrid shortly behind.

The only system I can see working is a salary cap system where both wages and player spending are controlled along with a set fee for agents involved in re-negotiation of contracts and transfers between teams. In the mean time I think UEFA should set up an independent monitoring committee to oversee the work of the Financial Fair Play. Everybody knows the FFP rules are not going to have any great effect.

I think players should be tied to contracts with UEFA or FIFA under a new ruling system which would allow UEFA to control the players rights to sponsorship, endorsements etc. This would stop Eden Hazard moving to City next season for say €1 Million and then you see Roman Abramovich and Eden Hazard appearing in an Etihad advert for €40 Million each.

This football bubble will burst quickly if nothing is done.

Leiva

28064212 wrote: »

Ehh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he saying that UEFA competitions are already invite-only? They just, by default, extend invitations to the top clubs in each league. That's how the Financial Fair Play regulations work, they won't invite teams that don't meet their regulations

Yep I'm all for UFFP working (God knows LFC need it) but how realistic would it be to not "invite" say UTD to the CL cause they are still in massive debt ...none I think.

It just smells of sour grapes as its not that long ago it was UTD spunkng all the money on transfers etc .

Donnielighto

Leiva wrote: »

28064212 wrote: »

Ehh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he saying that UEFA competitions are already invite-only? They just, by default, extend invitations to the top clubs in each league. That's how the Financial Fair Play regulations work, they won't invite teams that don't meet their regulations

Yep I'm all for UFFP working (God knows LFC need it) but how realistic would it be to not "invite" say UTD to the CL cause they are still in massive debt ...none I think.

It juts smells of sour grapes as its not that long ago it was UTD spunkng all the money on transfers etc .

Money earned though. It was the natural prpgression of fees due to the strength of the sport economically. The artificial raising of fees puts extra preasure on cluba and leads to debt issues.

28064212

Leiva wrote: »

Yep I'm all for UFFP working (God knows LFC need it) but how realistic would it be to not "invite" say UTD to the CL cause they are still in massive debt ...none I think.

As realistic as UEFA "not inviting" FC Sion to the Europa League after they fielded ineligible players

Leiva wrote: »

It just smells of sour grapes as its not that long ago it was UTD spunkng all the money on transfers etc .

By talking about stuff that already exists? You have a fundamental misunderstanding of what he was talking about

And the problem has never been about the amounts that teams are "spunkng" on transfers, the problems have been introduced by club-owners investing massive amounts of money and creating an unsustainable financial model. United's wage-to-turnover and transfers-to-turnover ratios were never anything like what the current big-money clubs have

Giggsy11

Champions league is Invite only competition from long time back, he is just saying if FFP is implemented then the clubs that break the rules won't be invited.

Where is the bitterness in that statement? Just stating the obvious.

5starpool

I can't see why there is any confusion about what he said, it's fairly clear. Also, that is how Liverpool got in after 2005 as they hadn't actually qualified (to be invited), so UEFA invited them to participate, and changed who would qualify (or be invited to participate) if this arose in future, which it just has.

Hopefully they will enforce FFP as proposed, although if it does result in the likes of Real, Barca, City, Chelsea, Milan, PSG and so on being ommitted, the old chestnut of a Euro breakaway league might rear it's head again. It'll be interesting to see how it works out.

Sgt Pepper 64

Its a great idea.
Just make sure all teams from manchester are excluded!

RVD420

Fantastic idea! Hopefully it would filter out all these Johnny-Come-Lately chancer clubs with more money than history!

gosplan

What???

Fergie outlines already stated FFP plans and that get's its own thread?

me-skywalker

Leiva wrote: »

Last night Alex Ferguson made a suggestion that maybe UEFA should change the rules and make Champions League qualification by invitation only .
...

Maybe you or I both misinterpretated his suggestion. What I understood his implication was that qualification through league position alone now does not guarantee the right to play; that the FFP will basically take precedent and your invitation to play will be withdrawn if you fail to meet the criteria of said FFP.

Liam O

gosplan wrote: »

What???

Fergie outlines already stated FFP plans and that get's its own thread?

Fergie bashing thread 2k12 attempt. Failed.

GavRedKing

Locking this up, thread lacks substance and does not warrant much of a debate really.

Theres a Utd thread or Champs League thread if any of ye want to continue the discussion in there.