Man Utd feelings are clear as Premier League clubs set to vote on controversial salary cap

Premier League clubs are set to vote for or against a new financial rule that’s set to be one of the subjects of the shareholders’ meeting next month.

Premier League giants Manchester United are anticipated to oppose a new financial ‘anchoring’ rule, which is due for a vote among the Red Devils and rival top-flight clubs next month. It comes as the Premier League attempts to revamp its existing financial regulations.

Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs), which are currently in effect, allow clubs to record a loss of £105million over a three-year rolling period – with deductions made for expenses such as the women’s team and infrastructure. There has, though, been a lot of question marks on the ‘fairness’ of those rules.

Over the last three seasons, three clubs have been charged with PSR breaches. Everton (twice) and Nottingham Forest were both handed point deductions by the Premier League.

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Leicester City were also charged, but were found not guilty – owing to a jurisdictional technicality following their relegation to the Championship in 2023. The Foxes now face another charge, though, following an amendment of the rules – and the wait to see if they are found in breach and hit with a potential punishment goes on.

A key aspect of the proposed new rules is anchoring, which would restrict clubs to five times the amount earned by the league’s bottom club from both prize money and broadcast revenue. According to The Times, initial plans were considered in March, when clubs first cast their votes on the matter. It’s reported that 16 clubs supported the idea.

However, United, neighbours Manchester City and Aston Villa voted against the proposal while Chelsea in turn abstained. Critics argue that the system would, effectively, act as a salary cap and could negatively impact clubs’ ability to remain competitive in Europe – which in turn could potentially harm the Premier League’s reputation as one of the world’s strongest domestic competitions.

It’s expected that there will be another vote on the anchoring rule next month at the forthcoming Premier League shareholders’ meeting. The vote will be divided into three sections – squad ratio rules, set to be fixed at 85 per cent, anchoring, and sustainability rules associated with the new independent regulator.

As part of the proposal, the Premier League have also included potential penalties for non-compliance. One such penalty is a minimum six-point deduction plus an additional point for every £6.5m over the limit.

United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already expressed his views on proposed changes.

“The last thing you want is for the top clubs in the Premier League not to be able to compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG – that’s absurd,” he stated. “And if it does, it then ceases to be the finest league in the world.”

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