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EFL discusses salary cap

Proposals for a salary cap on player wages in the EFL were discussed at a special meeting of club chairmen last week. It is thought that it might help to avoid the kind of financial crisis faced by Bolton Wanderers and Bury, the latter club likely to be expelled from the league tomorrow. Of course, in both those cases mismanagement by owners was a key factor, so a salary cap of itself would not be enough.

Nicola Palios, vice-chairman of Tranmere Rovers, told The Times, 'The gaps between the leagues are effectively encouraging clubs to gamble to get across that gap, to overstretch themselves, and that leads to the situation we are seeing with some clubs now.'

Palios said she would like to see the rules changed so that clubs had to pay off football creditors before starting in the next division. She believes that the system of parachute payments from the Premier League makes the situation even worse because clubs have to spend more to compete.

Seven clubs failed to pay wages on time at some point last season: Macclesfield Town, Morecambe, Notts County, Oldham Athletic, Oxford United, Reading and Southend United.

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