HUDDERSFIELD Town chairman Dean Hoyle has backed plans for a salary cap.
The multi-millionaire who recently sold the Card Factory business, set up with his wife Janet, for more than £300m said he believed that making wages a percentage of turnover would be a positive move, adding: "Football has got out of hand and wages have got too inflated."
Hoyle, who sat with fans in the away end at Millwall when Town crashed out of the play-offs last season, said:
“The fan in the street is starting to feel alienated. I admit some people may find this an odd thing to say due to the money I have put into this club, much of which has gone into the squad and an increase in the wage bill.
“But, speaking as someone who is a football fan as well as the Huddersfield Town chairman, I can see the long-term benefits of making changes.
“Apart from supporters in the Premier League, many of whom live in cuckoo land, I think football fans are finding it increasingly hard to relate to players who are paid thousands and thousands of pounds every week.
The issue of club debt and members of the Football League plunging into administration is a hot topic at the moment.
It was discussed at last summer’s annual meeting of clubs where a number of working groups were created to investigate the issue.
Since 2003 League Two clubs have been tied to a player wage budget at no more than 55% of turnover - and Hoyle believes the fear of losing millions on failed promotion dreams is driving Championship chairmen to want to explore the system which could then transfer into League I.
Hoyle, who will be pedalling to the Brighton game to raise cash for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: "They recognise that something has to be done. We don’t know what form this will take, that is why the working parties were set up last summer. They are due to report to the next summer conference of clubs (in June).”
In the interview with the Yorkshire Post, Hoyle said he believed the changes wouldn't take place until the 2013-14 season - at the earliest: "If the rules are changed then a limit of 60 per cent (of turnover) seems likeliest – which for us would mean (a wage bill of) £2.5m to £3m (per year). It would be a big drop and something we could not do overnight.”
He added: “What it will do is bring teams like ourselves into line with the rest. At the moment, we live beyond our means – that is my choice as I provide the finance.
