UEFA Planning to Set Cap on Transfers and Player Wages

After years of exorbitant transfer fees and wages, European soccer finally seems serious about limiting how much clubs spend on players.

UEFA is planning on setting a cap on player wages and transfers in a single season, rules which would impact competitions including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, according to The Times.

No monetary figures have been seriously discussed, but the potential cap would complement the existing Financial Fair Play regulations that limit European clubs’ operational spending to 90% of revenue this year, 80% next year, and 70% in 2025.

Implementing a cap would require approval from the European Union and agreement from the European Club Association, the European Leagues, and the players union FIFPRO.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin previously said a spending cap was necessary for a healthy future of professional soccer. 

“If the budgets go sky high, then the competitive balance is a problem,” he told the Men In Blazers podcast. Čeferin added that all clubs, small and large, were in favor of the salary cap idea.

Real Madrid and Manchester United just became the first two soccer clubs to be valued at more than $6 billion by Forbes, underlining the enormous growth of Europe’s richest teams.