The Godfather of Greenery

Chapter 732 Ye Qiu's Proposal

"Ye Qiu!"

"Mr. Ye Qiu!"

"Hello, Mr. Ye Qiu!"

When Ye Qiu led Peter Kenyon into the venue, everyone along the way stood up and shook hands with them, and some even left their seats. From this scene, it can be seen that Ye Qiu and Tottner Tottenham's position in the Premier League.

According to the rules of the chairman's summit, everyone's seats are sorted according to the name of the club. Tottenham Hotspur happens to be in the bottom position, only three teams ahead of West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Wigan Athletic. A little higher, and Ye Qiu's seat happened to be closer to the corner.

It's just a round table meeting, so there is no such thing as a high seat or a low seat.

After everyone sat down, Scudemore, as the initiator and host, stood up and made an opening speech. First of all, he must thank everyone for taking the time to participate in this chairman's summit, and then introduce Some of the things that the Premier League has done in the past three months, some of the results that have been achieved.

It mainly introduces the financial expenditure of the Premier League. For example, through the previous resolution, the Premier League officially allocated funds to support England’s youth training. At the same time, according to the past tradition, the Premier League also paid a portion of the money to repair some community football in England. Venue, etc., a lot, but none of that matters.

Scudemore's introduction on these aspects is very simple, and it has been mentioned in one sentence. After all, the Premier League will fax the details to all teams, and if there is any doubt, the team can also call the Premier League for consultation.

After all, all Premier League teams are shareholders of the Premier League, and these expenditures of the Premier League are deducted from the income of broadcasting rights and sponsors, and the rest are distributed to the Premier League teams. Therefore, as shareholders, naturally is entitled to audit.

The time that belongs to Scudemore is very short. He mainly introduced the newly signed broadcast rights contract and several newly signed sponsorship contracts, but there is nothing new about it. The outside newspapers have introduced it, so After a hasty start, Scudemore handed over the meeting to the [-] clubs present, while he himself got up and listened.

After Scudemore sat down, David Gill was the first to ask for the floor.

From this point, Ye Qiu can feel the anxiety of Manchester United, especially the Glazer family, because the longer the time drags on, the more unfavorable it is to Manchester United, especially considering the team's debt burden, so Manchester United's desire to change is the most important thing. urgent.

It was followed by Chelsea. Abramovich was tortured by his salary, which made the Russians regret it very much, because Ye Qiu told him more than once that the salary structure cannot be abolished easily, and it cannot be completely broken for the purpose of introducing superstars. The team's salary structure, because that will put Chelsea under long-term heavy salary pressure.

But the Russians didn't listen, and would rather let Ye Qiu resign than bring in Shevchenko and Ballack. As a result, Chelsea has completely embarked on this path of no return. The Blues are currently in debt of nearly one billion pounds, and they almost asked for Chelsea's boss. Life.

"According to our statistics, by the 2010/2011 season, the total wages of the 15 Premier League teams exceeded 70 billion pounds, accounting for 30% of the club's revenue, while the team's total liabilities were close to 5000 billion pounds, which has exceeded our turnover. In total, last season, the Premier League lost more than £[-] million."

David Gill took out his carefully prepared data, "We all know very well that the income of football clubs mainly comes from three aspects, but the most important expenditure is the human cost, that is, the salary of the players. In the past few seasons, our income has been in the increase, but faster than income growth is the increase in labor costs, which is already amazing!"

"According to the experience of the past few decades, human cost is the most important expenditure of football clubs, and the ratio between it and the team's income should be controlled within 50% most reasonably. If it exceeds half, it is considered unhealthy. If it exceeds 60%, it is Risk, more than 70%, I believe everyone is very clear about what this means!"

"And let's take a look at the current 55 teams in the Premier League. Except for Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, the salary expenditure of all teams exceeds 70%, or even exceeds 79%. The highest reached [-]%, this is a very shocking data, everyone, we must pay enough attention and vigilance!"

David? Gill's remarks are indeed very convincing. No one will deny the current crisis in the Premier League.

Or, looking at this matter from another angle, today's Premier League and Sky TV are actually doing a thing of killing chickens and eggs, how should I put it?

The Premier League has already expressed its attitude. I want to attract so many stars and build the world's number one league. I have a lot of pressure on my salary. I need more income, otherwise I will go bankrupt. Therefore, Sky TV has to provide higher broadcasting rates. Fee, because the two are closely linked, coexisting and inter-existing, and whoever falls, the other will not even want to live.

As a result, the TV station made a compromise, and the broadcast fee continued to rise. Then, in order to pass on the pressure, the TV station transferred part of the increase in the broadcast fee to the cost of fans watching the live broadcast.

This is a kind of behavior of killing chickens and taking eggs, which is very short-sighted, but you cannot deny that if you don't do this, the game of the Premier League may not be able to continue.

"I have reservations about what David Gill said!" Aston Villa boss Randy Lerner stood up after David Gill, "Of course, I never deny that the current Premier League football The salary pressure of the team is very high, and the current business model is not healthy enough, but I don’t think this can be solved by a salary limit order.”

David Jill stood up again, "I understand what you mean, Randy, I just think that we must make a courageous decision, even if this decision will make us uncomfortable or even suffer a lot."

Randy Lerner shook his head and laughed, and raised a document in his hand, "Mr. Jill, I have read your document. You think that the maximum salary can not be limited, but the salary growth rate should be limited. A situation can be assumed."

After David Gill nodded in agreement, Randy Lerner continued with a smile: "Suppose our current salary of Aston Villa is 5 million, while Chelsea's is 500 million, and both are subject to a 1000% growth limit. Do you think it's fair that we add five million a season and Chelsea add ten million?"

Randy Lerner's words immediately caused an uproar in the conference room. Many people, although they are the bosses, may not be so smart. After being mentioned by Randy Lerner at this moment, they realized that, On the surface, it seems reasonable, but the problem is that whether it is limiting the maximum salary or the growth rate, it is to ensure the interests of the rich and powerful that the strong will become stronger and the weak will become weaker.

"There is another situation. If it is like Southampton or West Bromwich Albion, we do not deny that they are financially healthy teams. If they qualify for the Europa League or the Champions League this season, I will It is said that if, with their current salary structure, it is impossible for them to have enough salary to introduce higher-level players to ensure their own competitiveness, so next season, they may be in the bottom of the list. Downstream of the league."

"It's not fair, because they entered the Champions League and earned 2000 million euros, as well as huge match day income and commercial sponsorship income, why can't they allow them to sign up to strengthen their strength to ensure that they continue to stay in the What about the Champions League?"

What Randy Lerner said really made David Jill and others speechless, because it was the truth!
Whether you limit the maximum salary or limit the growth rate of salary, it will eventually become the most powerful weapon for strong teams to restrict the rise of weak teams, and it may not be passed by the players union, especially the limit of maximum salary.

"Please, let's become more mature, shall we?" Jeremy Pease, chairman of West Bromwich Albion, stood up when he saw that the audience was speechless. Just take care of your own affairs, don’t care about what other people do, and don’t try to put restrictions on others, I’m not interested in those at all!”

In the past ten years or so, West Bromwich Albion's operations can almost be regarded as a model of the Premier League.

Don't look at them always hovering between the Premier League and the English Championship, but in fact, their finances have always been healthy, even if they are relegated to the English Championship, because the Premier League has a so-called parachute financial protection policy for relegated teams. Bromwich Albion have always made good use of these policies, returning to the Premier League soon after relegation.

This time since being promoted to the Premier League in the 09/10 season, West Bromwich Albion has been ranked in the middle of the Premier League in the past two seasons, with a lot of income, and the team's strength has steadily improved, but the team's finances have been controlled. well done.

David Gill couldn't bear it, and stood up again, "I must declare that this is not to restrict other clubs from buying excellent players. I never meant that."

"I know!" Jeremy Pease sneered, "but your proposal is to ensure that when our teams compete with you for players, we don't have enough funds to compete with you, don't we?"

After hearing this, David Gill sat down angrily, and Jeremy Pease also sat down under the applause of many people.

Everything is the same as the past few chairman summits, and it seems that this one will end without a problem.

Scudemore is also very helpless about this, because although he is the CEO of the Premier League, he looks more like a butler, and they are the bosses, so here, he really has no part to speak.

When the meeting reached a stalemate and everyone was in an unspeakable embarrassment, Ye Qiu slowly raised his hand, "I don't know, can I also get up and say a few words?"

Everyone was a little stunned. Is it still necessary to ask for instructions?
The chairman's round table meeting was originally intended to allow everyone to speak freely, not to mention Ye Qiu's status, even if he is a newly promoted boss, he can still stand up and speak freely.

"But I have a request. If I talk, please everyone be quiet and don't interrupt. After I finish speaking, I will discuss and research with everyone, and I will ask everyone to give their opinions. We will negotiate again. How?" Ye Qiu asked politely.

"can!"

"no problem!"

Abramovich was a little envious of the sudden statements made one after another on the field. At least he did not have the status of Ye Qiu in English football. Even though he looked rich and rich, but It's hard to earn the respect of this group.

Perhaps, Ye Qiu is right, only by using kingly ways and scheming can he survive in this world for a long time and win the respect of these people.

"First of all, I would like to summarize my opinions on the speeches made by Mr. David Gill, Randy Lerner, and Jeremy Pease. I think they are all very reasonable. Tit-for-tat, fire and water are incompatible, but in fact, the core elements of their discussions are different, so if you continue to insist on this kind of discussion, there will be no satisfactory results in another hundred meetings."

Ye Qiu's words won the nods of almost everyone present, because the salary limit issue has actually been discussed for many years, but they have never reached a conclusion, and every time they ended in quarrels.

But also because of this, more people are looking forward to see if Ye Qiu can give some fresh suggestions.

Ye Qiu walked out of his place slowly, he didn't like to stand still and talk.

"Why do you say that everyone is reasonable? First, all of us are sitting here because we all know that players' salaries cannot be allowed to continue to rise like this, just like TV organizations and the media. We will not allow our broadcasting fees to rise indefinitely. Once we cannot control the salaries of players, but TV organizations control our broadcasting fees, or when fans resist this endless fee increase by giving up, we will what to do?"

In fact, those who can sit here, even the worst team owners, can clearly realize the current problems of the Premier League. They all know that they need to change, but the problem is that it can be changed, don’t affect my interests, don’t affect I can do it.

This seems to be turning into a dead end.

"But I also know very well that a one-size-fits-all policy of limiting salary or controlling the rate of salary growth is obviously inappropriate. We cannot use this system to curb the vitality of the league, because once the league loses its vitality, it loses its vitality." Competition, without passion, the Premier League will lose its charm."

Ye Qiu's words received applause this time, and the owners and managers of some mid- and lower-level teams all responded with affirmative applause.

"I also have to mention one point, don't focus on local TV broadcasting rights. I can tell you very, very clearly that in the foreseeable future, network and other copyrights will become one of the three major broadcasting rights. And at least it will not lose to local copyrights and overseas copyrights!"

Today, the broadcasting rights of the Premier League are mainly in local copyrights and overseas copyrights. Recently, these two copyrights are very important, but the proportion of online copyrights is relatively small, but the development speed is very fast.

"Since the establishment of the Premier League, we have owned local copyrights. In the brilliant years of the Premier League, all our teams have united to create the overall market of the Premier League, using our overall brand to develop overseas copyrights, and increase the income of overseas copyrights to It is a remarkable achievement that it can almost keep pace with local copyrights."

"Overseas copyrights still have potential to be tapped, but the copyrights on the Internet and mobile platforms have even greater potential. This still requires all our teams to build and develop this market together, because the Premier League is a Premier League with [-] teams. Any team, the Premier League will be weakened and affected immeasurably."

What Ye Qiu said made a lot of people present really resonate, especially many football players who have witnessed the rapid development and rise of the Premier League in the past few years, such as Scudemore, and even Randy Lerner and others .

"I believe that no one will deny the overall effect of the Premier League, just like Aston Villa, Mr. Randy Lerner, your chest advertisement was once unsold, but it is worth 500 million pounds this year. Why? Because Every season, you have to play at least two games against several giants in the Premier League!"

Randy Lerner nodded in agreement, not just for the league, but with more and more strong teams, cup games are getting more and more attention, and the attendance rate is getting higher and higher, many of them can't afford the league tickets fans have turned to watch cup games, so the influence of the League Cup and FA Cup has also been greatly improved in the past few seasons.

"The only thing I want to say is that we are all club operators and the most important decision-makers in the Premier League. We must have an awareness, an awareness of seeing the Premier League as an overall market. Of course we cannot Everyone is required to consider the overall interests of the Premier League before considering their own interests when thinking about problems, but I think it is understandable for us to consider our own interests, but we should also properly consider the overall interests of the Premier League.”

"The simplest truth is, if the overall market of the Premier League collapses and you can't play it anymore, how can your team continue to play?"

This is also a bloody fact, why is La Liga always unable to rise strongly?It is because of the Western Super League duo!
The strength of the wealthy teams has caused many people to be blindsided, thinking that it was caused by the decision-making of the wealthy teams, but they did not see it. Without the platform of the league, how can the wealthy teams continue to play?
Manchester United, if he loses the Premier League, is he still Manchester United?
Ye Qiu's words made everyone present speechless, because what he said made sense, even David Jill, who originally thought that Ye Qiu would strongly support the interests of the rich, felt a little ashamed after hearing this, because His heart is still not as good as Ye Qiu's, because he only considers the interests of Manchester United and does not consider the interests of other teams.

"I have an opinion. In my opinion, salaries cannot grow so endlessly. Our team is too indebted, so it is very necessary to limit the salary cap and growth rate, but at the same time, we cannot curb the The development motivation and desire of the downstream teams, so we can add some considerations, for example, the team’s newly increased commercial income and the team’s transfer income can be included in the salary expenditure without restriction.”

"But broadcasting rights income, game day income and original commercial income are not acceptable. Even when we consider salary expenditure, we can properly consider the team's commercial income."

Ye Qiu mentioned this only for one purpose, which is to encourage more Premier League teams to develop commercial markets, because in the Premier League, income from broadcasting rights and income from match days are relatively stable, but commercial income has always been the main source of income for many teams in the Premier League. weaknesses and deficiencies, so he believes that this method should be used to stimulate these teams.

Of course, considering the current situation of the Premier League, Ye Qiu believes that it is possible to learn from UEFA's approach, adopt a gradual approach, and formulate a timetable.

And Ye Qiu also had a very important proposal, which almost dropped a mine in the entire meeting and directly detonated it, that is to limit the team's debts, and he even proposed to severely crack down on debts.

This is undoubtedly the most painful blow to a team like Chelsea whose club owner lends money to the team instead of directly injecting capital into the team. Abramovich even suspects that this is a kind of Ye Qiu's kindness to him. Retaliation, objection on the spot, and after Ye Qiu's proposal ended, when Scudemore proposed [-] teams to vote, Chelsea was the first to vote against it.

(End of this chapter)