Doncaster Rovers, Rotherham United and Bradford City set to adopt salary cap for next season

Rotherham United, Doncaster Rovers and Bradford City are set to introduce a salary cap in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Doncaster Rovers could employ a salary cap for next season.Doncaster Rovers could employ a salary cap for next season.
Doncaster Rovers could employ a salary cap for next season.

Clubs in League One and Two have been told they will be sent proposals no later than Monday.

It has been suggested League One clubs could be limited to a total squad wage bill of £3.6m from next season, and £2m in League Two. There will be no limit on how much clubs can pay individual players, just a maximum for the squad as a whole.

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To put it into context, Bradford’s wage bill for 2018-19, when they were in League One, was £4m but it was only the division’s fourth highest.

Last week Football League chairman Rick Parry told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee a salary cap and other cost control measures were “absolutely essential”. He said the league as a hole was facing a £200m financial hole by the end of September as a result of the suspension of matches because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Football leagues have been told it may be 2021 before they are able to allow supporters into their grounds for matches.

While Premier League clubs can play matches behind closed doors and still earn huge amounts from television companies, lower-league clubs are dependent on matchday revenue for the majority of their income.

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More than just turning off some of their revenue streams, the costs of staging matches will be increased by the testing regimes that would be needed.

As a result, League Two clubs took the decision to ask for their season to be suspended yesterday.

League One clubs, including Doncaster and Rotherham, are expected to vote on doing likewise on Monday, although with six clubs voicing their objections on Thursday evening, the outcome is less clear cut.

As well as calling for a wage cap, Parry wants to see the “evil” system of parachute payments to clubs relegated to the Premier League replaced with a more equitable sharing of television income down the football pyramid.

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Parry was the first chief executive of the Premier League, which broke away from the Football League in 1992 to ensure the top clubs got a larger share of television revenue.

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