The Football League wants to scrap the domestic transfer window

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Apologies if fixtures...

BBC SPORT | Football | Football League plans big changes

Football League plans big changes

The Football League wants the transfer window scrapped domestically and a transfer ban on clubs that fall behind on their tax payments.

Chairman Lord Mawhinney also wants to explore the possibility of a joint TV deal with the Premier League.

The plans were outlined in a four-page letter from Mawhinney to Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.

It was written in response to questions raised by the Government about football finances and the running of the game.

Burnham wrote to the Football Association, Premier League and Football League in October 2008, asking seven different questions.

The Premier League delivered its response earlier this week, outlining plans for greater financial transparency over the running of football clubs including a strengthened fit and proper person's test.

Mawhinney's letter was written following discussions with the Football League board and sent to Burnham on 18 May.

In it Mawhinney argues that since Fifa "remain implacably opposed" to altering the current transfer window system, Government help would be needed if it was to be altered to allow domestic transfers.

But Mawhinney told the BBC: "We think the original idea was to regulate international player transfers.

"We are proposing there should be a distinction between domestic and international transfers."

When asked how likely he thought it would be that changes would be made to the transfer window, Mawhinney said: "I do not know the answer to that."

Currently the transfer window is open from 1 July to 31 August and from 1 to 31 January.

The proposals regarding tax and National Insurance payments are aimed at improving the relationship with Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.

When a club is in administration it must pay in full its debts to its football creditors - a policy that is opposed by HMRC, which is no longer a preferential creditor and often has to settle for a greatly reduced offer.

Mawhinney said the Football League opposed scrapping its policy regarding football creditors.

But he added: "We will propose at our Annual Meeting next month an initiative which seeks to provide clubs with an incentive to keep up to date with payments to HMRC.

"If approved, clubs who fall behind will be embargoed from signing further players."

A new Football League television deal starts next season, with 10 live Championship games per season on the BBC.

The new agreements are worth £88m per season to Football League clubs and encompass terrestrial and pay television, broadband internet, video-on-demand and mobile services.

That deal runs until 2012, while the next Premier League deal starts in 2010 and ends in 2013, but Mawhinney is keen to explore the possibility of there being one deal in the future.

"It is not illogical to say is there a prospect of benefit to both if we turn it into one TV deal," Mawhinney told the BBC.

"The truth is we don't know the answer because we have never tried."

Culture Secretary Burnham has called for more consistency in financial regulations, more transparency and scrutiny of club ownership and debt levels.

He also wants rule changes for clubs in insolvency; a reconsideration of rules forcing insolvent clubs to pay football debts first and a strengthening of the fit and proper persons test for club owners.

 

[beorhthelm]

get rid of the transfer window is good. but no transfers for those in debt? not very helpfull is it if selling one player means they can settle the debt. how about revising the football debts first rule to keep the HMRC happy

 

[NF9]

Farce.

 

[theonesmith]

Farce.

Yeah? I would say that they are steps in the right direction. The transfer window should be scrapped domestically and a shared TV deal with the premiership would greatly help lower league football.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Isnt the transfer window a FIFA thing??

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Farce.

Look who it is with another reckless judgement and no reasoning behind their statement...

 

[Stoo82]

Isnt the transfer window a FIFA thing??

Yes. What i believe this is proposing is that English Transfers are different. So there will still be a 'ban' on international tranfers out of the window. But, ok between English clubs. Sounds quite good to me.

 

[Curious Orange]

get rid of the transfer window is good. but no transfers for those in debt? not very helpfull is it if selling one player means they can settle the debt. how about revising the football debts first rule to keep the HMRC happy

The embargo would be on signing players, so transfers out would still be possible.

 

[NF9]

Look who it is with another reckless judgement and no reasoning behind their statement...

I Don't need reasoning, This isn't going to happen so there is no reason pointing out the good and bad points

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

I Don't need reasoning, This isn't going to happen so there is no reason pointing out the good and bad points

 

[beorhthelm]

The embargo would be on signing players, so transfers out would still be possible.

in which case not much wrong with that.

 

[Fourteenth Eye]

Thes best thing all round would be to abolish the premier league & for all four leagues to be under the jurdistiction of the the football league. That way the money that goes into the top league get filtered through the whole pyramid instead of all the money going into the premier league & staying there. (obviously this will never happen)

Also, the money that goes into the prem tends to go out of the country in respect of transfers rather than picking up players from the lower leagues & spreading the wealth that way.

 

[Slough Seagull]

Thes best thing all round would be to abolish the premier league & for all four leagues to be under the jurdistiction of the the football league. That way the money that goes into the top league get filtered through the whole pyramid instead of all the money going into the premier league & staying there. (obviously this will never happen)

Also, the money that goes into the prem tends to go out of the country in respect of transfers rather than picking up players from the lower leagues & spreading the wealth that way.

shame the greedy fuckers up top ruined all that in 1992...

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Thes best thing all round would be to abolish the premier league & for all four leagues to be under the jurdistiction of the the football league. That way the money that goes into the top league get filtered through the whole pyramid instead of all the money going into the premier league & staying there. (obviously this will never happen)

Also, the money that goes into the prem tends to go out of the country in respect of transfers rather than picking up players from the lower leagues & spreading the wealth that way.

But it is the top teams that make the most money, because they have the money to invest in the best talent and so attract big name players. This leads to increased revenue and sponsorship. If you cut the cash that they get the quality of the players in the league will reduce hence reducing revenue both in terms of how many people attend and how much broadcasters will pay for rights. Result - less money for everyoen

 

[Fourteenth Eye]

But it is the top teams that make the most money, because they have the money to invest in the best talent and so attract big name players. This leads to increased revenue and sponsorship. If you cut the cash that they get the quality of the players in the league will reduce hence reducing revenue both in terms of how many people attend and how much broadcasters will pay for rights. Result - less money for everyoen

I can see your point & yes of course Its the top four who bring in the most revenue. But on the other hand, this weekend you have the game which is billed the richest game in sport where the winners gain entry to the exclusive club they call the premier league.

The chances are that whoever wins will spunk a huge chunk of their 'winnings' on some jonny no mark foreigner who will do little or nothing.

of course there is the example of Stoke who did spend big on an English player (dave Kitson) who was a bigger flop than Fatty mcfatty jumping from the top board at the local swimming pool.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

The domestic transfer windows need to be scrapped and only international transfer deals need to be subject to embargo periods to satisfy FIFA. Make HMRC a preferred creditor so clubs know what their position is when they go into administration. The Premier League needs to acknowledge that more money has to be trickled down the entire league structure in order to keep the game viable at grass roots level.

 

[Cian]

The transfer embargo on teams that are on a course to possibly hitting the wall is already done in other leagues - often its when more than a certain % of income is spent on wages rather than Revenue bills; but either way it does the job.