The table of per centages of wages to turnover makes fascinating reading since this is one of UEFA's main aims in introducing the so-called financial fair play regulations. City were forces to agree to limitations on wages as part of our "agreement" with UEFA last May. Yet examination of the wages table receals a picture which shows that Platini and UEFA are exploiting an issue which provides no support to their case.
If we take the ten clubs with the highest wages-to-turnover ratio we find that the three clubs with the very highest ratio are in the bottom three places of the PL!. The only clubs in the top half of the PL AND in the top half of the turnover table are Chelsea, Southampton, Swansea and Stoke. The latter three are in 7th, 8th and 9th! Chelsea are, of course, top of the PL and champions elect, but interestingly enough are not to be sanctioned by UEFA! The other teams with high ratios are in 13th, 14th 16th and 17th. The conclusion that paying high wages actually creates struggling teams is illiogical, and the more likely conclusion is that struggling teams find it difficult to attract and retain good players and have to devote more of their revenue to attraction and retention than other clubs. Chelsea only just scrape into the top half of the ratio league, as do Southampton, and this shows that the revenues from the CL make it possible to pay much higher wages without increasing the ratio too much. This is confirmed by the other English CL competitor figures.
Salary ratios are not a concern for the top clubs and Platini and his advisors must know this. As usual he is prepared to clobber struggling clubs, to exclude them permanently from UEFA competitions, to try and appease his favourite clubs by finding any means to hinder City's progress.
