Vincent Kompany Comments on UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has hit out at Financial Fair Play rules on the eve of the Manchester derby, insisting the regulations preserve an established hierarchy in the game.

Speaking to Jason Burt of the The Sunday Telegraph ahead of the showdown with city rivals Manchester United—who have long belonged to the elite group Kompany refers too—the Belgian was scathing when discussing the motives surrounding FFP:

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If you go into the business world you can’t say to anyone they cannot invest. I understand the fans have to be protected, the clubs have to be protected but plans need to be accepted.

You win things; you get more fans. You get more fans; you create more revenue. That’s not a stupid way of thinking of investing in a business. I do understand there needs to be regulation but I just wonder what is going to change at the top? When I came to England it was just four clubs at the top. Four. The same top four all the time and that’s changed now.

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City have been sanctioned for a breach of these regulations this season as noted by Burt and were levied with a £49 million fine. They also had their squad reduced for Champions League matches.

It’s been a tough season for the champions to this point, with challenges for domestic and European titles falling short of expectations. With an ageing squad, it’s imperative they rebuild this summer. But with UEFA likely to keep an eye on the minutiae of their dealings, it’ll be intriguing to see how much the club actually spend in the transfer window.

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As noted by Daniel Storey of Football 365 during City’s recent 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, the first team is in desperate need of replenishment:

In the same interview, Kompany thinks that any preventions on their spending would only preserve an established hegemony at the summit of the English game:

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What you do is actually protect the few who already have the things geared up to create enough revenue for them to invest more than anyone else.

I think there needs to be a format that people respect. When you get into a club you need to subscribe to be in there for a number of years, you need to maybe commit to a certain number of regulations but in this case who are you protecting?

That’s my question. If City wouldn’t have done what they did four of five years ago it might have been too late.

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Recently, former United defender Gary Neville called on City to splash the cash this summer regardless of the rules in place that could potentially hinder them, branding the rules “unfair” and suggesting the Etihad club should “take it on”, per James Robson of the Manchester Evening News.

Oliver Holt of the Daily Mail agrees:

It’s tough not to agree with Kompany’s assessment. After all, the rules do prevent less illustrious teams like City surging up the Premier League table to challenge the established powers. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the spending they’ve used to get to the top, they’ve brought players like Sergio Aguero and David Silva to England and conjured some thrilling moments.

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As the club captain also noted, the work that City have done in the local community with the money has been stupendous:

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Look at what this club has done for the community, what this club has meant to – I suppose we pay a lot of tax in the UK as well and that money has been invested by, in our case Abu Dhabi, and it has a massive impact also on the city of Manchester what clubs like this can do when they are being established like our club.

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It was clear that something had to be done to stop obscene spending and prevent the sums involved in the game spiralling out of control. But while the intentions behind FFP are admirable, it’s a relatively new initiative and subsequently, there are still some refinements to be made like the ones Kompany notes.

The Belgian’s stance on the matter is probably emblematic of the entire club’s opinion and as such, it’s going to be intriguing to see how they look at galvanising the squad this summer. But as much as they need to invest, and as unfair as they may feel the regulations are, it’s imperative the club tread carefully to prevent further sanctions down the line.