Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor, who is bidding to buy Everton, has spoken out against Financial Fair Play and how it treats smaller clubs.
ESPN cover comments from the American businessman speaking at a press conference at Botafogo, another of the clubs in his network.
The Crystal Palace shareholder, who is currently trying to sell his shares at Selhurst Park to try and buy Everton, where he has an exclusivity deal with Farhad Moshiri, has long been a spokesperson against Financial Fair Play and other such schemes.
FFP and Profit and Sustainability Rules remain in focus in England and the Premier League at this moment in time after Leicester City avoided punishment this week after legal battles with the league.
Everton spent last season in a similar situation and were ultimately docked eight points for two separate breaches of PSR rules in recent years.
They’ve been left aggrieved, though, as Chelsea have dodged punishment for their huge spending by selling hotels worth €90m to themselves to give themselves wiggle room.
The Crystal Palace shareholder is clearly aware of that situation and when asked about FFP potentially being introduced in Brazil, where he owns Botafogo, he spoke out against the whole system.
“The term financial fair play is a fraud because it is not fair enough. Who says that teams can only spend 75% of their revenue on player salaries,” he said.
“It’s a rule in Europe that was made to allow the big teams, with their big brands, like Liverpool, Manchester United, to spend more money. That’s not fair!
“Crystal Palace has to play against Manchester United, which is allowed to spend more on players, there is no financial parity,” he continued.
“They use other words, like sustainability, that there is financial fair play because they care about their club. In the Premier League, you have small clubs bought by mega-billionaires, with a lot of money, but they can’t spend it.
“Only the big clubs, with the biggest global budgets, can spend. It’s not about financial sustainability for the health of the club, but rather an unfair practice, a rule made to allow hegemony, for big clubs to always be dominant.”
