Press Release: Commission blows the whistle over inflated football transfer fees and lack of level playing field

Football clubs spend around €3bn a year on player transfers, but very little of this money trickles down to smaller clubs or the amateur game, according to a European Commission study published 7 February 2013.

The number of transfers in European football more than tripled in the period 1995-2011, while the amounts spent by clubs on transfer fees increased seven-fold. But most of the big spending is concentrated on a small number of clubs which have the largest revenues or are backed by very wealthy investors. The situation is only increasing the imbalances that exist between the haves and have-nots, as less than 2% of transfer fees filter down to smaller clubs and amateur sport which are essential for developing new talent.

The level of redistribution of money in the game, which should compensate for the costs of training and educating young players, is insufficient to allow smaller clubs to develop and to break the strangle-hold that the biggest clubs continue to have on the sport's competitions.

EUObserver, 07.02.13: Overhaul football transfer system, commission says http://euobserver.com/social/118991

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