MX23RW : Thursday, January 30 20:09:42| >> :600:2064498:2064498:

Forest Green chairman Dale Vince calls for salary cap in lower leagues

Dale Vince says a cap of £2million in League Two has been discussed.

A League One and League Two salary cap can be agreed right away to bring an end to the player wages "arms race" in the lower two tiers of the English Football League, Forest Green chairman Dale Vince has said.

Vince favours the introduction of a salary cap, and mentioned fixed amounts of £3.6million for League One clubs and £2m for teams in League Two.

The suspension of the professional game due to the coronavirus pandemic has brought the issue of football's financial sustainability, particularly in the EFL, into sharp relief and Vince believes it is vital to use the downtime productively so that sensible measures are in place for the 2020-21 season.

"I have seen the email traffic from clubs and club chairmen and I think it has got strong support and has got a good chance of going through," he told the PA news agency.

"We can all see the problems every year, there are a couple of clubs that just about make it to the end of the season – or don't – and go into administration.

"A player wage cap would be a way to control that. The amount of money that gets spent by some clubs would then relieve the pressure on other clubs to match it – it becomes an arms race.

"You get the odd individual who just operates on the very edge of insolvency and legality. With a wage cap, people like that would be more constrained and less able to do real harm.

"It's something that can be agreed now. We've got this downtime to work on the details, and put it in place ready (for the new season)."

Vince was less receptive to the suggestion of the EFL being regionalised below Championship level.

"I don't think it would be beneficial to anybody," he said. "My understanding is it was suggested as a way to lower overheads, but I don't think that stacks up.

"The cost of travel is a marginal part of a playing team budget. What we would gain would be a few thousand pounds but what we'd lose is a truly national competition, and that would be wrong, so I'm against it."

Vince is also of the view that every effort must be made to finish the season, amid reports some clubs are in favour of ending it now for financial reasons.

"There are clubs with nothing to play for who would just like to end the season, there are clubs in an automatic (promotion) or play-off spot who either want to see the season out or have it determined on its current standing, and then there are clubs in a relegation spot who want to have it declared null and void," he said.

"Everybody has got a different interest personally I think.

"From the perspective of football, I think it's important that we finish the season if we can. We've spent all year working towards something, fighting promotion and relegation battles, so for the competition and the integrity of that I think we should finish it if we can."

Vince believes clubs should extend player contracts beyond June 30 if the season continues for a month beyond that date, with some teams suggesting they cannot afford to pay out-of-contract players beyond that point.

"We should maintain the status quo," he said.

"If (the 2019-20 season) can be done by the end of July that's not a big extension, just one month. It gets more tricky the longer that takes. As soon as you allow clubs to let players go, you start to destabilise the whole situation."

Meanwhile, the Professional Footballers' Association has criticised Southend's decision to furlough players under the Government's coronavirus job retention scheme.

Southend chairman Ron Martin said six players, who are "some of the highest-paid individuals" at the League One club, had been furloughed. The scheme pays 80 per cent of an individual's monthly salary, up to a maximum of £2,500.

Martin said the players had been paid in full until being put on the scheme.

The players' union says that this "represents an unfair portrayal of the players and an inaccurate reflection of the club's situation". It also pointed out the club had "consistently let its players down with regards to late or non-payments of salaries".

ID:397246: cacheID:397246:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7944:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
General view of Forest Green Rovers' The New Lawn from 2010
Read Next:
Forest Green vow to ban fan after racist abuse delays Scunthorpe game
>
Read more about Dale Vince Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barnet29186559302960
2Forest Green RoversForest Green281511246222456
3York City27166552252754
4Gateshead28147751361549
5Oldham AthleticOldham26129543291445
6Rochdale24133838211742
7AltrinchamAltrincham27119744321242
8Halifax TownHalifax2611963124742
9Solihull MoorsSolihull28125114540541
10Sutton UnitedSutton2811893936341
11Southend UnitedSouthend2810993330339
12Eastleigh2891183736138
13Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool2891183334-138
14Yeovil TownYeovil29108113335-238
15Tamworth2697103143-1234
16Dagenham & RedbridgeDag & Red2688104036432
17Woking28710112939-1031
18Aldershot TownAldershot28612104248-630
19Braintree TownBraintree2886142738-1130
20Maidenhead UnitedMaidenhead2875163557-2226
21WealdstoneWealdstone26510113140-925
22Fylde2774163256-2425
23Boston UnitedBoston2647152444-2019
24Ebbsfleet2919192165-4412


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!