经济学人下载:足球转会

Football transfers

球员转会

Reassuringly expensive

天价成交

The financial gulf between English clubs and the rest of Europe is growing

英国足球俱乐部与其它欧洲足球俱乐部经济差距仍在不断加大

Sep 7th 2013 |From the print edition

FOOTBALL’S transfer window may almost be viewed as a sport in its own right. Twice a year, in January and for two months during the summer, European clubs frantically buy and sell players. When the window slams shut, as it did on September 2nd, they are stuck with the squads they have assembled until the next one opens. Meanwhile, pundits pore over the transfer-market winners and losers, much as they would a weekend’s fixtures.

或许，可以把‘球员转会窗口’看成是一项独立的运动。每隔一年，在1月和夏天的两个月，欧洲俱乐部就忙于狂买狂卖球员。待到9月2日窗口一闭合，球队就已成形，要想重组只能等到下次窗口再度打开。与此同时，专家们则着手研究转会市场中的赢家和败家，就如准时收看每周末的球赛。

This summer English Premier League (EPL) clubs did record business. According to Deloitte, a professional-services firm, they spent a combined £630m ($985m) on new players. This is a new record, and far outstrips spending in other countries. The window’s most eye-catching deal, though, involved a player leaving England’s shores. The protracted pursuit of Gareth Bale, a Tottenham Hotspur forward, by Real Madrid, a Spanish club, ended only when the clubs agreed on a world-record £85m fee.

今夏，EPL已做相关成交记录。据提供专业服务的德勤公司统计，EPL已在新球员身上花费6.3亿英镑（9.85亿美元）。这是最新记录，也是最高纪录，且远超出其它国家。然而，该窗口最引人注目的业务还是跨国交易——球员离开英国本土。西班牙俱乐部马德里一直在拉拢加里斯.贝尔,希望他加入热刺前锋，但最终因为0.85亿的天文成交价而以失败告终。

Still, England remains football’s financial powerhouse. Net transfer spending by the EPL—the amount, after deals between English clubs has been stripped out, which flowed abroad—was £370m. This compares with £130m in France’s Ligue 1 and a £95m surplus in Spain’s La Liga.

但目前，英国仍是足球界的“金融中心”。除去国内的，EPL在球员转会上的开支达到3.7亿英镑，这笔钱全部流向国外。相比之下，法甲花了1.3亿英镑，西甲只花了0.95亿英镑。

The main reason for EPL’s continued clout is a huge new television deal shared between British Telecom and BSkyB, which will run for the next three seasons. That will be worth an extra £500m to the EPL this year, with each club on average £25m better off. In 2011-12, the last season for which accounts are available, broadcasting accounted for half of the clubs’ combined £2.4 billion revenue. The remainder was split between match-day revenue—mostly gate receipts—and commercial activities, such as sponsorship and merchandising. Deloitte estimates that, for the coming season, the clubs’ revenue will increase to £3.1 billion, with the proportion coming from broadcasting rising to 55%.

EPL之所以一直大力收拢英才，主要是因为英国电信公司和英国天空广播公司已达成有关新的大型电视节目的交易协定，未来三季都会播出。预计，这又会带给EPL5亿英镑的盈利，每个俱乐部平均得到2.5亿英镑。现有数据显示（2011-2012最后一季度），广播节目带来的收入占总盈利24亿英镑的50%。而另外一半的利润来自每日球赛（主要是入场门票）和商业活动（如拉赞助和做广告）。德勤预计，随着广播节目所占比例上升至55%，下一季度EPL的盈利将增至31亿英镑。

Much of the new money will go directly to the players. In the 2011-12 season, EPL clubs shelled out £1.65 billion on wages. This is likely to grow to £2.2 billion for the coming season. The best performers earn well over £100,000 a week; Mr Bale’s pay could be around £300,000.

新增利润大多都直接为球员所得。2011-12季度，EPL工资开销达16.5亿英镑，下一季度极有可能涨至22亿英镑。顶尖球员周薪过10万英镑，贝尔大概30万英镑。

Yet despite the arresting figures, the days of clubs living beyond their means are coming to end. From this season, premier-league clubs will be bound by two sets of “financial fair play” rules. The first, implemented by UEFA, the European game’s governing body, looks at clubs’ finances over a three-year period and limits their permitted losses to €45m ($59m). Clubs that flout this will be subject to punishments ranging from a warning to a fine to being banned from European competitions. The EPL has also brought in its own rules. These allow clubs more leeway with their debt, but restrict increases to clubs’ wage bills to £4m, unless they can secure new commercial deals. Teams that break these rules face a ban on transfer activity and will have points docked.

尽管以上那些均是天文数字，但俱乐部即将终结过去入不敷出的时代。因为，从本季起，EPL各会员将受两套‘经济性公平比赛’规则限制。第一套规则主要由欧洲足球管理机构，UEFA负责执行。三年为一期，监督查看各俱乐部财务管理状况，限制赤字开支额不得高于0.45亿欧元（0.59亿美元）。凡无视此条律者，轻者受到警告，被罚款，重者则被取消欧洲赛事参加资格。同时，EPL自定了一套规则，允许俱乐部有一定的债务自由，但规定工资涨幅不得超过0.04亿英镑，除非多了几笔安全可靠的商业交易。凡违规球队，将无法参与球员转会，且遭到罚分。

Increased revenue means that most English clubs will comply with both rules. There is, however, uncertainty about Manchester City, a big-spending team owned by Sheikh Mansour, an Abu Dhabi royal. Its lavish transfer fees—the highest in the EPL—are funded, in part, by a £400m sponsorship deal with Etihad, Abu Dhabi’s state airline. Under UEFA’s rules, it must prove that the airline has not paid more than the market value. Industry watchers are divided as to whether they will succeed. UEFA’s verdict is expected next year. Success on the pitch may now be determined as much by accountants and lawyers as by footballers and managers.

利润上涨，意味着多数英国俱乐部愿意遵守以上双规则。但，阿拉扎比皇室曼苏尔酋长手下开支巨大的曼彻斯特城市队就不一定了。它的高价转移费为EPL之最，部分来自阿布扎比国家航空公司——阿联酋4亿英镑的赞助。根据UEFA规定，它必须证明该航空公司所给赞助未超出球队的市场价值。新定规则能否为球队带来惊喜，专家对此莫衷一是。明年，UEFA将会推选一名裁判。看来，球队的成功不再仅仅依靠球员和管理员，还有会计和律师。