Paris Saint-Germain and Zenit watch on as Uefa gets tough over new Financial Fair Play ruling

COMMENT
Julian Bennetts

Every uprising starts with a show of defiance, and this morning UEFA gave notice to Europes top clubs that there is more to their demands for financial sustainability than words alone.

The announcement that 23 clubs have had their prize-money from last seasons European competitions withheld due to their financial issues will have drawn a mixed response from all four corners of the continent.

The likes of Atletico Madrid, Malaga, Fenerbahce and Sporting Lisbon have until September 30 to either settle their debts or explain to European footballs governing body exactly why they have not paid players, other clubs or the taxman.

If not, the punishment is simple; clubs that fall foul of the rules will be banned from the Champions League and Europa League.

And when Platinis ideas come to fruition, this will be seen as an important moment in this well-advertised sea-change.

Similarly, Zenit St Petersburg whose average attendance was 3,000 less than Reading last season have just spent between 64 and 80m (depending on who you believe) on Hulk and Axel Witsel.

These are not the actions of clubs who feel financial Armageddon is coming.

Yet Platini has never deviated, never changed from his insistence that the day of reckoning was near.

"These rules were unanimously approved by all clubs, politicians, judges and the European Union. There's no going back from here on, he told Gazzetta dello Sport at the end of August.

FFP is a hard rule for any team, regardless of whether we're talking about PSG, Juventus, or any other team.

"I have spoken with directors from all clubs. They have all stressed that they would follow the new rules. It seems that some worry a bit more about FFP than others, though.

"Financial Fair Play does not stop clubs from buying players. Clubs can still spend as much as th ey want as long as their budget accounts for it."

The question now is how PSG, Zenit and the rest can justify it. Over-inflated sponsorship deals have been discussed, as have an increase of equity for their owners in exchange for greater finance.

But the example of Malaga is one that Platini is sure to refer to time and again.

The list announced today gives the clubs named until September 30 to settle their debts or explain why they had not paid either players, other clubs or the tax authorities money that was owed.

In the case of Malaga, the answer is simple; because the billionaire owner, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani of the Qatari royal family, seemingly lost interest and the funds dried up.

Santi Cazorla was then sold at a knock-down price to Wenger and Arsenal, solely so that the players could be paid. Withholding prize money will only exacerbate the situation, but Platini had to make a stand.

Clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint Germain and Malaga are all indebted to owners that they could not cope without.

The Frenchman, a football politician who is surely destined for Sepp Blatters chair at FIFA, will not countenance that.

And, under the leadership of former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene, CFCB have been told to crack down.

No-one has been banned from European competitions not yet, at least.

But Atletico Madrid could lose out on up to 7.9m in prize money, an eye-watering figure for any accountant.

And the message that is coming from UEFAs HQ this morning is loud and clear; Platini is watching, and the day of judgement is coming.

Diarra: I joined Anzhi because of Eto'o, not the money

Lassana Diarra says his move to Anzhi Makhachkala was driven by a desire to play alongside Samuel Eto'o rather than the prospect of earning a lucrative salary.

The 27-year-old left Real Madrid on transfer deadline day to sign a four-year contract with the Dagestan-based side, after falling out of favour at Santiago Bernabeu.

The deal came as a surprise to many, with the likes of AC Milan and Fenerbahce touted as potential suitors for the midfielder, but the allure of acquainting himself with the Cameroon striker swayed his decision.

"Spartak showed an interest in me this summer, but at that time I was only focused on Real Madrid," said Diarra at his official presentation on Monday.

"Overall, I would not talk about the clubs that were interested in me. Anzhi were interested more than the others, but the most important thing for me is that Samuel Eto'o is here.

"He's like a big brother to me. Why can't we succeed to gether?"

It had also been suggested that Diarra's transfer to Anzhi was motivated by the promise of a larger pay packet, but he poured scorn on such claims.

"It's a new challenge for me. So far I've only been here a few days, but I've had time to train," the ex-Chelsea and Arsenal man continued.

"I've been very well received and I thank you all. I believe Anzhi can push themselves to become champions, so why can't I be?

"During my career I have played for some very prestigious European teams and, trust me, I've won enough titles and been paid enough. I did not come here for the money.

"Those who believe that should come to the games, analyse my performances and then tell me why they think I came to Anzhi."

Russian football has been noted for a series of racist incidents over the past few years, but the Frenchman does not believe that he will be the target of such discrimination.

"Of course, there is no place for racism in football. Fifa and Uefa should take action to fight this disease, but in my career, I have not had any specific problems with this," he added.

TEAM NEWS: Hulk starts for Brazil as they face depleted China

Zenit St. Petersburg striker Hulk has been handed a place in the Brazil starting line-up as they take on China in Recife, the powerful forward rewarded for leading his nation to a stuttering victory in their last run-out.

Hulk's goal coming off the bench proved decisive in the Selecao's 1-0 win over South Africa on Friday afternoon, and the former Porto man will replace Leandro Damiao in Tuesday's team alongside Neymar in attack. His entry is the only change from coach Mano Menezes, who was subjected to fierce criticism in the Estadio Morumbi as his charges struggled to break down the Bafana Bafana.

The South Americans will face a decimated China squad, reduced to just 17 players due to injuries and club commitments. Captain and former Celtic midfielder Zheng Zhi is one notable absence, after he was called back to Guangzhou Evergrande following defeat to Sweden in the last friendly. Defender Sun Xiang has also returned to his club, fur ther weakening Jose Antonio Camacho's ranks.

Brazil (4-2-2-2): Diego Alves; Dani Alves, David Luiz, Dede, Marcelo; Romulo, Ramires; Oscar, Lucas; Neymar, Hulk.

China (4-4-2): Wang Dalei; Zhao Peng, Liu Jianye, Yu Yang, Tang Miao; Zhao Xuri, Hao Junmin, Lu Peng, Liu Jian; Gao Lin, Zhu Ting.

Roberto Carlos: Anzhi do not want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Roberto Carlos has made it clear that Anzhi Makhachkala are not interested in signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid at this point.

The Portugal international recently revealed that he's unhappy at the Liga champions, and has since been linked with a move away from Madrid on more than one occasion.

Nevertheless, Roberto Carlos has stressed that the prolific attacker is not on Anzhi's wish-list for now.

"Lots of people have asked me whether Anzhi are after Cristiano Ronaldo. I haven't come here to sign Cristiano, though," the Anzhi director stated to Marca.

"Cristiano is happy here. If he doesn't want to celebrate his goals, then us, the people watching the games will celebrate them for him.

"He shouldn't worry, people like him a l ot. Problems can be resolved."

The former Brazil international then went on to stress that Anzhi do intend to add to their ranks in the next transfer window.

"We are, however thinking about signing some quality players for next season."

Premier League is paradise, says Pogrebnyak

Reading forward Pavel Pogrebnyak has hailed the Premier League as "paradise" following his impressive start with the newly-promoted side.

The 28-year-old made his debut in the English top-flight last season on loan with Fulham, racking up an impressive six goals in just 12 games for the Cottagers.

Pogrebnyak has already made an impression with the Royals, scoring against Chelsea in his second game for the club.

"My dream has always been to play in the Premier League," he told Sports.ru. "At the end of the 90s I liked watching English football very much so I wanted to sign [for a club] in England but I didn't think it would happen so late. But now I'm here and I'm happy about it.

"The first time I watched English football was in 2001 or 2002, I decided to go to a Premier League game. My favourite players - [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes, [David] Beckham - were running around. That's why I always try to get the No. 7 shirt.

"It was impossible to get a ticket to the games of Manchester United so we went to a Chelsea - Newcastle game. Without [Roman] Abramovich and the star players Chelsea weren't such a big team as they are now."

Pogrebnyak explained why he was attracted to English football so much, rather than some of the other major European leagues.

He continued: "Because of the speed, fights and tough play. As a striker I always liked crosses from the wings.

"When I was sitting in front of the television in Russia I was amazed to see when someone heads the ball after a big jump or started to dribble, it was very fascinating for me to see.

"Scoring a goal like this and then running to the fans - it's like paradise for me."

Pogrebnyak also dismissed returning to the Bundesliga, with the former Stuttgart player adamant he wants to continue to ply his trade in the Premier League for the foreseeable future.

"In Germany the stadiums are packed and the infrastructure is good. But I couldn't become one with the rest," he explained.

"Here you don't have time for the training - game, regenerating exercise, training and game again.

"In England you're tired because you play football frequently, but in Germany you're tired because you train as much as a horse. But here everything is a joy and a satisfaction."

Russia 2-0 Northern Ireland: Fayzulin & Shirokov secure first victory for Capello

Russia began their World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign with a routine 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Moscow on Friday.

Viktor Fayzulin grabbed the only goal of the game in the first half after Alan Dzagoev had sprung Aleksandr Kerzhakov into space, the latter proceeding to pick out the goalscorer with a cut-back to the centre of the penalty area.

Fabio Capello's team dominated the Italian manager's first competitive game in charge but the Northern Ireland defence, led by Jonny Evans, held firm to restrict their chances.

They could offer nothing in an attacking sense, however, as an isolated Kyle Lafferty cut a frustrated figure in attack, and the result was made safe when Roman Shirokov scored from the penalty spot after Craig Cathcart's foul on Aleksandr Kokorin.

The Russian team had a familiar feel, with Dzagoev and Aleksandr Kerzhakov leading from the front, but with Andrey Arshavin out of fa vour and Yuri Zhirkov injured, Dmitri Kombarov and Vladimir Bystrov came into the starting XI.

Cathcart continued in an unfamiliar role at left-back for Northern Ireland. Lafferty was the lone striker, with Jamie Ward, Corry Evans and Chris Brunt closest in support from midfield.

There was a swift tempo to Russia's passing from the off, with Northern Ireland pressed heavily when in possession, but the centre-back partnership of Gareth McAuley and Jonny Evans was able to disrupt the hosts' play in the final third. Their first clear sight of goal came when Bystrov scrapped the ball across to Kerzhakov, who pulled a poor shot wide from 10 yards.

It seemed the visitors were growing more comfortable and Russia's early enthusiasm fading when Capello's team found their first-half breakthrough. A loose ball that had ricocheted in front of the Northern Ireland defence was picked up by Dzagoev, and after the playmaker slipped in Kerzhakov he cut the ba ll back for Fayzulin to finish into the top corner.

Matters could have become worse when Shirokov found himself in space in the penalty area after a superb flick from Bystrov, but Roy Carroll made an excellent save to deny the midfielder and Kerzhakov headed the rebound wildly over the crossbar.

Northern Ireland were restricted to one or two Corry Evans forway sfrom midfield and a long-range effort by Lafferty that was easily saved by Igor Akinfeev, with the Sion striker severely lacking help in the opposition half.

Capello's comfort was outlined by the way he withdrew Dzagoev not long into the second half in order to give 21-year-old striker Kokorin a run-out on the left side of attack.

Kerzhakov very nearly put the game to bed with a free-kick from the edge of the box which hit the post after Chris Baird had been harshly adjudged to have fouled Bystrov, but when Cathcart barged over Kokorin in the box there was l ess surprise when the referee pointed to the spot.

Shirokov stepped up and passed the ball to Carroll's left to end the game as a contest and secure Capello's first victory as national team coach.

Northern Ireland finally showed some attacking spark in the latter stages, however, with McAuley twice going close. The West Brom defender's header from a corner was cleared off the line before he saw a goal-bound volley similarly stopped.

Zenit targeted both Nani and Joao Moutinho before the close of the transfer window

Manchester United winger Nani and long-standing Tottenham transfer target Joao Moutinho were both in talks with Zenit St Petersburg on deadline day, the club's director-general has revealed.

The reigning Russian champions still managed to make a big splash in the market before the window closed by completing an 100 million combined double signing of Porto forward Hulk and Benfica midfielder Axel Witsel.

However, it has since emerged that they also tried to make another double swoop altogether, with the Portuguese pair of Nani and Joao Moutinho pursued if the aforementioned move failed to materialise.

"We really have been negotiating Nani and Moutinho, but Hulk and Witzel were top priorities," explained Zenit chief Maxim Mitrofanov.

"It must be understood that any transfer campaign is based on the list of players, ranke d by priority."

Mitrofanov also stated that a move was possible for the Manchester United man until they spoke to the player and realised that his salary expectations were beyond even their resources.

"If Hulk had demanded 8m (6.4m) to 10m (8m) a year, these conditions would have been unacceptable for Zenit," Mitrofanov explained.

"The transfer of Nani failed mostly due to this reason, as he asked for an enormous salary and we would not pay him."

Nani has just two years remaining on his contract at Old Trafford, while Moutinho was reportedly just minutes away from completing a switch to Andre Villas-Boas' Tottenham Hotspur before the window closed.