According to SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil, an upper salary limit in professional football must be decided in several countries for successful implementation.
“The salary cap has to come from a European perspective, it’s about competition,” said the 42-year-old from the German press agency. “If the millions continue to be poured into other clubs, it will only not work in Germany. This is a debate that the European Parliament could also have. “
Klingbeil was part of the “Future Professional Football Taskforce”, the results of which the German Football League presented on February 3rd. “Commitment to reforms at European or global level in cooperation with politics” is one of the working group’s 17 recommendations for action for the coming months and years. This applies in particular to the “cap on players’ salaries”, which – in contrast to US sports – has not yet been implemented in European football.
“This is really a thick board. But it would be worth thinking about, ”said DFL boss Christian Seifert. The question is completely justified, why it was not possible to “somehow achieve a solution in a booming industry at the largest expenditure position that would still be compatible with European law”. Even with a salary cap, “I think you would still earn quite well,” said Seifert.
Klingbeil said that during the Task Force’s conferences he understood the club representatives with regard to the salary and new restrictions for player agents “that the results support them, that they want to push this forward within the international European bodies”.
So far, the argument that the salary cap is incompatible with EU law has usually ended the debate quickly. However, the topic had picked up speed again due to the corona pandemic. Aleksander Ceferin, President of the European Football Union, showed interest without specifying a specific schedule. A salary cap would severely restrict the market power of the financially strong clubs, especially in England – but it would also curb excessive salaries in the millions. Most recently, a report about the alleged salary of superstar Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona caused a stir.
Klingbeil was “really satisfied” with the results of the task force work. The SPD politician would not have “in between thought that one would get that far. In some places I would have liked to see more concrete results, ”he said. “But I think that in many places very clear expectations of the professional clubs have already been formulated.” The big test now comes with the implementation. “How do the clubs and the DFL deal with it? But I don’t think they can avoid tackling this debate on values now and asking themselves how professional football should change, ”said Klingbeil.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210203-99-292899 / 4
