Manchester United's David Gill gets powers to act against rivals

David Gill has been named chairman of UEFA’s powerful licensing committee.

David Gill, former Manchester United chief executive and current UEFA executive committee member, will now be the chairman of UEFA’s powerful licensing committee, who will have the power to impose bans on clubs that are in breach of the new spending rules.

Gill, who has been an ardent advocate of Financial Fair Play (FFP), is now part of the licensing committee which could introduce sanctions against big-spending clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea, who are desperately making plans to bring down their losses to €45m, which is the limit sanctioned by FFP over 3 seasons, starting from 2011-12 and until 2013-14.

According to a UEFA spokeswoman, the licensing committee will have a say over whether clubs can get the clearance to play in Champions League or Europa League football, depending on their finances.

Gill, who will continue to remain a Manchester United board member, will not be allowed to exert any control over UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) however, which, starting next month, will analyze in detail the accounts of clubs who want to compete in European competitions.

Leading FFP analyst Daniel Geey says, in the Independent, “If a non-compliant club wins the Champions League in May 2014, they could be sanctioned by having their title removed.”

“The licensing requirements would not bar that club from participating in the competition in the first place. From UEFA’s perspective, it is difficult to see how they can get the requisite financial information earlier in order to make decisions.”

Source: The Independent