Financial Fair Play (FFP) has been a topic of discussion among coaches and former players, who believe Mamelodi Sundowns’ success in the DStv Premiership is due to money. However, introducing the same regulations to South African football would not necessarily stop the champions from signing the players they want.
FFP was introduced by UEFA in 2011 to prevent clubs in Europe from spending more money than they generate. The regulations require clubs to have their books balanced over a period of three years, while also ensuring that clubs improve their financial health and prevent them from getting into serious debt.
Clubs are allowed to spend €5 million (R93.5 million) more than they earn per assessment period, while the limit becomes €30 million (R561 million) if the losses can be covered by the owners of the club or a related party.
If FFP were to be implemented in South Africa, Sundowns would likely be able to comply due to the deep pockets of the Motsepe family. However, the regulations would not prevent clubs from buying top players or having a large squad of star players who do not play regularly.
Perhaps the only way to ensure clubs are financially healthy would be for CAF or SAFA to introduce their own rules on how clubs are able to spend their money.
