Financial disaster set to leave Pompey in ruins

FEB 27 — It is the highest order of irony that on the same day that the two richest clubs in English football play each other in the English Premier League (EPL), a fellow Premiership side could possibly be playing their last game . . . ever!

The Arab-owned Manchester City visit Stamford Bridge to play Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea in an early kick-off (8.45pm Malaysian time) tonight. These two founding members of the Billionaire Blues Club will, however, be playing under the shadow of the financial calamity that has befallen another ‘blues’ team, Portsmouth.

After tonight, Pompey, as the team from the south of England are popularly called, could possibly disappear from existence the same way their ancient city namesake (Pompeii) disappeared entirely under the volcanic ash and lava from Mt Vesuvius in western Italy in the year 79AD. I bet this piece of irony is not lost on the two Italian managers who will face off at Stamford Bridge.

Portsmouth have become the first EPL club to go into administration as of yesterday. As Premiership rules state, “going into administration” would merit a nine-point deduction and this will mean certain relegation for the club.

This is the only course of action, however, following the failure of four undisclosed buyers to prove they had the funds to buy the club by the set Thursday afternoon deadline.

The sad truth is that this will not be the first or last club to face this situation in the EPL if something isn’t done about the current state of financing and competition. It is time to discuss salary caps and revenue sharing or clubs going bust will become the norm and not the exception.

The appointed Administrator of the club has immediately started the process of cutting costs at the club to try to keep it going as a viable entity. Job cuts and salary cuts will be “drastic” although the new owner (by default), Balram Chainrai, has put up the money for the wages to be paid this month.

It is natural that the powerbrokers at the Premier League are desperate to avoid the south-coast outfit going bust, hence the administration route being taken. But if the unthinkable does happen, Portsmouth would become the first professional English League club to cease to exist since Maidstone United in 1992.

Maidstone’s demise as a (then) Third Division club, just two days after the EPL began, was not so problematic for the Football League, given that the Stones didn’t even kick a ball that season.

But it was different when Aldershot FC went out of business five months earlier, in March 1992, just weeks before the end of the 1991-92 English football season.

The club was rooted at the bottom of the (then) Fourth Division for most of that season. However, when the club was finally dissolved, Aldershot’s entire record was expunged and the whole league was recalculated as a 22-team division, instead of 23. Incidentally, it has remained 22 since then.

And this is what the Premier League must fear, as its rules state that the same would happen. The Premier League needs Portsmouth to complete their season in full, failing which any points gained off Portsmouth would be deducted.

There would inevitably be winners and losers should Portsmouth’s results be wiped out. Manchester United would have six points cut while Chelsea would lose three, meaning a four-point gap would re-open.

Arsenal would also lose six points and this is likely to end the Gunners’ already slim title hopes.

However, Liverpool would be the big winners in the battle for fourth (and possibly third), losing no points at all, as they were defeated at Fratton Park while Pompey have yet to visit Anfield.

Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa would lose three points, but Manchester City would see six points wiped out.

The biggest losers at the foot of the table would be West Ham United (minus four points), Bolton Wanderers (minus three) and Hull City (minus one). Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley would not lose a single point.

That would mean Bolton will be adrift at the bottom of the new 19-team EPL on 20 points, while West Ham will only stay out of the drop zone (being level on 23 points with Burnley and Hull) on goal difference rather than with the four-point cushion the Londoners currently enjoy.

So, this is what it all comes down to. Portsmouth travel to Burnley today in what could be the last time that their dejected supporters watch their beloved Pompey play a professional match. If any game is a must-win for Burnley, it is this one against Portsmouth — at home against a side which is now 99.99 per cent certain to be relegated. Not that it would matter if Portsmouth are booted out before the end of the season.

The current formbook shows Burnley having lost just twice at Turf Moor and will aim to maintain their good home form against troubled Portsmouth, who have just one away win to their credit. However, Burnley have won only one of their last 15 and have not kept a clean sheet since October. They also have not beaten Portsmouth in 10 meetings over the past 28 years.

Portsmouth have just pride to play for and a win could boost morale, however, I only see the likelihood of a Burnley win or draw that is likely to be nullified sometime in the near future.

Getting back to the clash at Stamford Bridge, under-fire Roberto Mancini will have his own worries when his Manchester City play Chelsea. With both Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Adebayor suspended and Carlos Tevez a doubt following his late return from compassionate leave to be home in Argentina, Chelsea could have their revenge for the loss earlier this season at Eastlands.

This match too has its share of drama, with Wayne Bridge facing John Terry on the pitch for the first time since the scandal over the woman they both once shared (unbeknownst to Bridge, of course) was splashed across the tabloids.

Terry’s affair with Vanessa Perroncel, who is the mother of Bridge’s young son, has become great tabloid fodder, and now even resulted in England possibly losing the services of the best alternative to Ashley Cole in the left-back position.

With Cole suffering a devastating injury that could end his World Cup hopes, the importance of Bridge to England’s hopes has been elevated, hence the trepidation in the England camp after Bridge announced that he was not going to accept any call-up by Fabio Capello.

His decision made only days before the match against Chelsea means that between 8.40pm and 8.45pm (Malaysian time) on Saturday, everyone that is even remotely interested in this soap opera will have their eyes firmly fixed on the pre-kickoff events on the pitch, to see if there could be a handshake or slaps exchanged between Terry and Bridge.

These are interesting times indeed in the most popular domestic league competition in Europe.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.