Arsenal Opinion: The proposed wages cap is crucial to stop football from dying

My fellow Gooners, before writing this piece, I want to say I now expect us to win the Prem!

My relief at seeing the Prem clubs have voted solidly to begin the long process towards enabling an effective salary cap is WONDERFUL NEWS and gladdens the heart of this old fan, who has been regularly calling for it for decades, rather than years already.

Only City, United and Villa voted against, with Chelsea abstaining.

Those who oppose it are entirely predictable and few can be surprised at those rapacious old and predictable names.

Much as we all want to beat City to win the title, for the future health and welfare of our precious game, it is actually MORE important that we beat them and their co-conspirators in turning back the tide of huge player wages that is steadily, unless we change tack, going to kill the game we older ones have loved and cherished for many decades.

To my mind friends, it has been obvious for a very long time that the way we are going, with ever increasing ridiculous wage contracts, while screwing every penny from ordinary hard pressed fans, will only lead to a huge financial crash and such a shock to the game that the Premier league may not survive as a great league, at all.

Fan groups throughout the Prem are more and more actively and vocally demanding reduced prices, or at very least objecting to proposed increases for attending games and a sea change in fans attitudes against being constantly fleeced for more, esp for season tickets and entry money, is happening all around us.

Fans have reached a level of refusal to keep being pushed into paying more and more money, simply to FURTHER enrich already multi-millionaire players and their parasite agents and it has reached a turning point, IMO.

Long after it ought to have done too!

My fellow Gooners, this may seem at first glance a small and, by itself, not special step.

But it is at least the first step that is always the hardest to take and once having been taken, further steps in the direction of enforcing reductions in salaries and entrance money rises are BOUND TO FOLLOW.

The vote, where 16 clubs including Arsenal, voted for the proposal, means it will now proceed to a proper confirming vote, apparently in June, in which more and crucial details of exactly HOW the proposed changes towards endorsing a combined salary and wages spent cap (including agents fees too) will be finalised.

The proposal is that all clubs be limited in spending, for wages, transfer fees and interest payments, including agents’ fees, to a multiple yet to be decided of POSSIBLY four and a half, five or even six times the total TV income of the bottom Prem club from the previous year.

That would mean that Southampton, last season’s bottom Prem club who received £103 million in TV money and all other clubs in the Prem would be limited to a total spend, of a yet to be finalised multiple of £103million.

The main aim, and effect would be to limit such as City and United, from throwing endless money at their clubs and distorting the chances of ever having an equal field.

This is of course, although a major principal change, only a first faltering step on the long and necessary road to a sensible salary cap for ALL Prem players. A great deal of detail is still to be discussed and “horse traded” and ultimately finalised before a final vote can ever be taken.

But taken as a whole, this development is at long last a general mass Prem clubs’ realisation that things cannot and must not continue as they are.

I do not see this, by itself, much reducing most existing salaries, though it will in all likelihood prevent further ridiculous way above inflation wage rises. And for that, as faltering a start as it undoubtedly is, we ought ALL to be extremely grateful.

THAT ALL IMPORTANT FIRST STEP IS ABOUT TO BE TAKEN AND I SAY HALLELUJAH FOR THAT!

I do not expect all to agree with me and many will say, albeit in blinkered fashion, “well of course more and more tourists will take up the season tickets, if real fans give them up in frustration at being fleeced”.

Yes, in great cities like London that will and does already happen.

BUT IF WE GO ANY FURTHER DOWN THAT DISASTROUS ROAD, then real fans will be practically extinct from grounds at some future date.

Forced out by simple greed!!

And that, my thinking fellow Gooners, is the day football as we know and love it, DIES from lack of REAL FANS IN STADIUMS.

I will fight tooth and nail to prevent that ever happening and I plead with all true fans to do exactly the same.

Please help save our beloved sport from the obscenity of greed that is strangling it to death!

COYG