Published: 8 May, 2014
by STEVE BARNETT

RUMOURS were rife this week over the possible punishment that Manchester City could face after failing to adhere to Uefa’s financial fair play rules.

The consensus is that City, along with Paris St-Germain and seven other clubs being investigated, could be handed £50million in fines and have restrictions on the number of players they can name in their Champions League squad next season.

It is believed that the clubs will be able to pay the fines over the course of three seasons, while the Champions League reduction could see them only being allowed to use between 18 and 21 players, instead of 25.

A strict wage cap could also be introduced on the errant clubs to ensure that there is no rise on this season’s squad wage bill for the Champions League.

Handing Europe’s billionaire playboys financial punishments is, in truth, about as useful as taking a carefully crafted chocolate teapot out of the fridge and filling it with boiling water.

But in the capitalist world we live in, should there even be an issue with the amount of money that super-­rich clubs have at their disposal?

This financial fair play facade isn’t based on how the super-rich made their fortunes, so morality doesn’t come into the equation.

No, what we are actually saying to the billionaire brigade is that having earned your money, we now want a say in how you spend it.

The fact of the matter is that clubs lucky enough to attract the financial support of the big spenders should be able to use it to their advantage as best they can.

The only real concern we, the fans, should have is that there are rules in place to make sure the clubs in question can afford to cover the cheques they are signing – and that the very future of the club isn’t being offered up as collateral.

Fans of the clubs who don’t, or can’t, go around splashing the cash will try and convince you that they would hate to see their team buying success. I’m not convinced.

Manchester City look set to win the Premier League having, for the best part, played attractive football and boasting talents like Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure. It makes you wonder, just what is the difference between fair play and jealousy?