Chelsea are remaining tight-lipped on Uefa proposals to curb Blues
owner Roman Abramovich's spending power. Lars-Christer Olsson,
chief executive of European football's governing body, said:
"Prolific spending could be banned but it needs a lot of thinking.
"To tackle it you have to agree within the European community that
this is unfair competition. Chelsea is a special case."
A Chelsea spokesman said: "We have no comment to make on
this."
Uefa is looking to mobilise the European Union in a sweeping reform
of the way professional clubs are licensed. It claims the new
system will ensure fairness in all competitions, with clubs
responsible for raising their own income and not relying on the
bounty of rich benefactors.
Olsson admitted he was reluctant to single Chelsea out, but said:
"There is no other club in Europe like them at the moment. "Is it
fair competition? It is very unfair for clubs who don't have a
benefactor like this and who have to live within their
means."
"I am against a salary cap, but not against a relationship between
the wage bill and the earned income. "We are taking these proposals
to the European Union to change the legislation." Some of Uefa's
proposals feature in the Independent Review of European Sports,
instigated by Britain's Sports Minister Richard Caborn.
One of the review's main concerns is the source of revenue being
ploughed into some European clubs. Olsson said: "For us, it's even
more important to know whether the money is coming from the right
sources. "Our policy is there has to be a transparent accounting
system so you can see where it comes from."