Sneijder (maybe not) to Sign For Man U, £190k Per Week, Footballers Are Way Overpaid

[YehButNoBut]

Just saw this article stating that Man Utd hope to complete the signing of Wesley Sneijder for around £35 million with a salary of £190k per week.

Just made me think that football is going to destroy itself paying players an obscene amount of cash like this.

It's no longer a working class sport (probably has not been for some time) I mean kicking a ball around and getting paid £10 million a year is pathetic.

At the end of the day it is the punter that pays for it by going to games, merchandise, Sky etc so surely in tough times they should be paying players less and reducing the cost to go to a game for us punters.

Rant over.

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/07...ersonal-terms/

[easty]

They're worth whatever someone will pay for them. Like anything else.

It is obscene but that's just the way it is.

I'd say that on a day Liverpool are paying £20m for Stewart Downing, £35m for Sneijder seems like a bargain....

[Woody1985]

Revenues in the top 5 leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France - no particular order) have increased every year for over a decade. England have outstripped the rest of them in growth.

You say it's going to destroy itself. Whoever contributes the money seems to be doing the job. Ultimately it's the fans who pay for Sky, buy merchandise from the advertisers, match tickets, strips etc etc etc.

The only problem is, if you don't want it to increase, the only things you can do is stop buying it which in turn is cutting off your nose to spite your face!

That's the way it is.

Not a direct dig at you but all this 'footballers wages are obscene' is getting boring. It's not looking like it's going to change and when/IF it does clubs will go to the wall and things will become cheaper for a while. A bit like the recession but better for you. IMO of course.

FIFA's fair play system won't change anything either, it'll just ensure an elite tier of clubs that always stay the same. The same same thing would happen if they introuduced a salary cap. Bigger clubs = better wages = better players. Team qualify for the Champions League which boosts the income and keeps the loop going.

Don't like it, don't buy it/support it!

I didn't start out with the intention of a rant but it seems like I ended up there!

[down-the-slope]

supply & demand...reality is there are not many real world class players at the moment particlarly in certain positions...and currently there are about 10 clubs world wide who are inancially in the mix....so up goes the cash ometer....

I think its a scandal...but its free market economics....unless we had an American style draft system it won't change much (even there top players are paid even more ludicrously)

My suggestion is a 10% tax on all fees pais split between social projects and football grass roots development so at least there is some drip down of all this cash....

[Stevie Reid]

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They're worth whatever someone will pay for them. Like anything else.

It is obscene but that's just the way it is.

I'd say that on a day Liverpool are paying £20m for Stewart Downing, £35m for Sneijder seems like a bargain....

Agreed, Sneijder will be an excellent signing for Man Utd if they get him and £20M for Downing seems excessive, but he'll get plenty of crosses into the box for Carroll to attack.

This will be Liverpool at over £100M in spending since Dalglish came back - I thought it would have been interesting to see how he would manage at a club where he couldn't spend big (which seemed to be the case when he took over from Hodgson), but we're obviously not going to find out now.

[PISTOL1875]

Where are that lot getting money like that ??

[Woody1985]

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supply & demand...reality is there are not many real world class players at the moment particlarly in certain positions...and currently there are about 10 clubs world wide who are inancially in the mix....so up goes the cash ometer....

I think its a scandal...but its free market economics....unless we had an American style draft system it won't change much (even there top players are paid even more ludicrously)

My suggestion is a 10% tax on all fees pais split between social projects and football grass roots development so at least there is some drip down of all this cash....

So you think that a successful business/franchise should start to be taxed more just because it's successful?

I agree with more tax being applies to things like oil and gas as they shouldn't be used for profit of shareholders as they're a natural resource but man made stuff like football shouldn't get punished because lots of people like it.

It should find it's natural balance one day. Just now, that balance seems to be just as steady, only with the numbers getting bigger.

[down-the-slope]

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So you think that a successful business/franchise should start to be taxed more just because it's successful?

I agree with more tax being applies to things like oil and gas as they shouldn't be used for profit of shareholders as they're a natural resource but man made stuff like football shouldn't get punished because lots of people like it.

It should find it's natural balance one day. Just now, that balance seems to be just as steady, only with the numbers getting bigger.

Take our piddly little end of the spectrum....the powers won't even cough up the loose change to ensure a reserve league....hopless way to run a business / the game for the future, to say nothing of youth levels.

Something needs to be done ensure the long term future of football and the clubs / system which is such a part of so many local communities..

[Prawn Sandwich]

It's all going to go Pete Tong! Sky is not going to get the investment from News Corporation along with a reduction of subscribers. The EPL will not get the money they have been getting in pasted years from SKY and if a club isn't owned by a Billionaire.....then they are f£$ked!

In five years time some over valued players will be reminiscing on their power boats in the Med about the good old days!

TV deals for the SPL will be even worse than they are now.

[Shaggy]

how much are man utd in debt.....?? is it about 700million or something crazy..I wonder why?

...... I am surprised the owners havent come in for Rodders

[Pretty Boy]

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how much are man utd in debt.....?? is it about 700million or something crazy..I wonder why?

...... I am surprised the owners havent come in for Rodders

Deespite the debt Man Utd still have an absolutely huge turnover, regularly competing with Real Madrid for footballs biggest. I'm sure they even turned a pretty healthy profit the past few years whilst still servicing the debt and remaining competitive on the playing side of things.

[IWasThere2016]

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Deespite the debt Man Utd still have an absolutely huge turnover, regularly competing with Real Madrid for footballs biggest. I'm sure they even turned a pretty healthy profit the past few years whilst still servicing the debt and remaining competitive on the playing side of things.

Income up 6%, profits up, commercial income heading towards £100m pa!

[HibsMax]

It is obscene and the only way they can get away with it is because they know their customer base is emotionally tied to them and will, most of the time, pay whatever they have to pay, as long as it's still affordable. It's disgusting what they get paid. The only way to get it to stop is for everyone to stop going to football games and that's just not going to happen. Sometimes you hear the "short career" excuse. Let's say a footballer plays from 16 through 36. 20 years. The average person will work about 30 years more than that. 20 years versus 50 years. So by that reckoning if the average person gets paid 100K a year, a footballer should be on something like 250K per years (numbers plucked out of air for illustrative purposes only).

[SMAXXA]

I was speaking about this at the wk-end and it really angers me whats happening to football these days. The amount of money spent on players is ridiculas and until the clubs / countries / FA's come together and make a stance to cap wages / transfers etc its not gona improve. Taking a fmaily of 4 to football these days in the premiership especially is costing familys hundereds of pounds, gona are the days when this was a working mans sport IMO.

Start caping wages / transfer fees, regain control back from players and agents, reduce ticket prices for fans. Start getting more fans through the gates and fill stadiums (SPl like, I know most EPL games sell out)

[Hibeesb0unc3]

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how much are man utd in debt.....?? is it about 700million or something crazy..I wonder why?

...... I am surprised the owners havent come in for Rodders

In saying that though until the glazers came in Man Utd had no debt or a very little amount of debt. The glazers used loans some at 16% interest to buy man utd hence why there debt is so big and keeps rising.

But i agree player salaries are far too high i mean they earn more in a week than what doctors and nurses earn which is shocking. But in saying that a footballer isnt exactly going to say no to £190k a weel is he?

[easty]

Just had a quick look at some websites, Tom Cruise was (apparantly) paid about £100m for War Of The Worlds, filming took 72 days. £10m a week then?

Not the same I know, but a bit of perspective into money in entertainment.

[Sodje_18]

I don't see the problem with clubs paying big wages as long as they can afford it, teams like Hearts and Man Utd. though are spending money they don't have and should be getting thereselves out of debt rather than spending thereselves into it. Also a lot of people blame footballers calling them greedy, are you aware they have agents? They're the ones who demand large sums of money for kicking a ball. Football has been all money for years but thats because it's just become too popular.

[easty]

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I don't see the problem with clubs paying big wages as long as they can afford it, teams like Hearts and Man Utd. though are spending money they don't have and should be getting thereselves out of debt rather than spending thereselves into it. Also a lot of people blame footballers calling them greedy, are you aware they have agents? They're the ones who demand large sums of money for kicking a ball. Football has been all money for years but thats because it's just become too popular.

Nah....I'm not buying that. The players want the money. Agents get them what they want.

[HibsMax]

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I don't see the problem with clubs paying big wages as long as they can afford it, teams like Hearts and Man Utd. though are spending money they don't have and should be getting thereselves out of debt rather than spending thereselves into it. Also a lot of people blame footballers calling them greedy, are you aware they have agents? They're the ones who demand large sums of money for kicking a ball. Football has been all money for years but thats because it's just become too popular.

The way they can afford it, one of the ways, is to make it more expensive for you to go to a game.

I know football players have agents but they can't hide behind them. "I didn't want this much money, my agent made me do it.". Hmmmmm,

[Cocaine&Caviar]

You also have to remember the tax man though, due to the 50% tax, he's literally going to be taking home the same figure he currently is at Inter.

[RyeSloan]

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My suggestion is a 10% tax on all fees pais split between social projects and football grass roots development so at least there is some drip down of all this cash....

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You also have to remember the tax man though, due to the 50% tax, he's literally going to be taking home the same figure he currently is at Inter.

Exactly...the main winners out of this are Sneijder then HMRC....

[PeeJay]

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You also have to remember the tax man though, due to the 50% tax, he's literally going to be taking home the same figure he currently is at Inter.

You suggesting the elite footballing fraternity actually pay that much tax in the UK?

Has the loophole been closed?

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/n...-loophole.html

[cwilliamson85]

Yes a footballer gets paid a lot but how long is a footballer’s career on that kind of money? 5 years? Also if you think of getting that per week how much will he be paying to the taxman!

Also if you see the top players and how fit they are. They work hard to be there and sacrifice a lot. They don’t have a normal life like anybody on here, Can’t just nip to the shops on a Sunday morning for the papers without getting harassed by paparazzi and when they are out having fans interrupting you during a meal for an autograph.

[Speedy]

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It is obscene and the only way they can get away with it is because they know their customer base is emotionally tied to them and will, most of the time, pay whatever they have to pay, as long as it's still affordable. It's disgusting what they get paid. The only way to get it to stop is for everyone to stop going to football games and that's just not going to happen. Sometimes you hear the "short career" excuse. Let's say a footballer plays from 16 through 36. 20 years. The average person will work about 30 years more than that. 20 years versus 50 years. So by that reckoning if the average person gets paid 100K a year, a footballer should be on something like 250K per years (numbers plucked out of air for illustrative purposes only).

That's a stupid and irrelevant argument.

They get paid what they get because they have the ability/potential to provide a service that makes their employers money.

[Woody1985]

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Take our piddly little end of the spectrum....the powers won't even cough up the loose change to ensure a reserve league....hopless way to run a business / the game for the future, to say nothing of youth levels.

Something needs to be done ensure the long term future of football and the clubs / system which is such a part of so many local communities..

Fair enough on the grass roots side of things but not on social projects.

Then again, why should smaller clubs benefit financially? Presumably the big clubs would be paying for them to nurture talent and then be asked to pay fortunes for them when they want to buy them.

The money reinvested would then get blown on wages.

I think it's a good idea in principle but would be difficult to manage and regulate. You'd probably end up with a lot of mediocre players earning more than they already are.

[HibsMax]

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That's a stupid and irrelevant argument.

They get paid what they get because they have the ability/potential to provide a service that makes their employers money.

Why not take your gloves off and tell me how you really feel?

I fail to see how comparing a footballer to an Average Joe is stupid and irrelevant. LOTS of people earn money for their respective companies, it's why they get paid. Some people work multiple jobs for a pittance, why do footballers deserve more than them? Are these other people not working hard? Are they less deserving in some way? Are they not providing a service that is profitable to their employer(s)?

If you think it's stupid and irrelevant that's fair enough but think about it as you watch the cost of going to a game increase and increase.

I wonder how the average football player's salary has changed over the last 20 years in comparison to some sort of median.

[Green_one]

I find myself occupying two opposite views on this.

I think transfer fees are OK as they circulate within football. They are crazy though. The wages go out of football and just seem to feed themselves. The next guy in wants higher wages than the last. They also seem almost demotivating and encourage very poor behaviour.

Getting new players in is a basic part of football and makes it interesting for us fans. Big names coming is exciting. So if you are a fan of a big club then you tend to benefit. The contrary is true of the smaller clubs.

Football is no longer a true working class game. It many ways it has improved but in doing so it has lost part of its soul. Despite all this it still has that ability to surprise , lift and hurt you in ways few other expereinces do. Is it all too often boring and predictable - yes. We live for the unexpected - usually bad unexpected with Hibs.

[Sean1875]

turns out its all balls anyway, move along nothing to see here!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14136334.stm

[Jamesie]

The quicker it destroys istelf the better IMHO. I'm scunnered by football in general and have never felt less enthused about the start of a new season at any point in my 23 years of supporting Hibs.

[Woody1985]

Devil's advocate here, why should football stay a working class game?

Surely the professional game has moved on.

Surely football at lower level clubs, which are the majority, are more working class based on prices.

You get what you pay for. I want the best house, car etc but I can't afford it.

I personally don't go to as many games as I could cos if I'm honest. I'd rather spend 60 quid on a night out than spend 35-40 going to a game.