The Uneven Field

Money, rules and power in football.

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Read the argumentWho Gets to SpendRevenue-based rules give bigger earners more permission to spend. Whether that leaves challengers a route up is a separate question.Essay · published 1 October 2026, updated 2 October · about 30 minutesRead the paperWhat the Public Record Can Tell UsWhat Everton, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United’s published decisions and accounts can, and cannot, tell us about the financial rules.Paper · published 2 October 2026, revised the same day · about 9 minutesRun the numbersHow the rules landThe Premier League’s squad-cost rules applied to any revenue you type: the green line, the allowance, the levy and the points.Calculator · rules as published for 2026/27Test what you knowThe Ledger CupLearn the five questions, play the games, weigh both sides of the City case and sit the final exam.Companion · quizzes and games

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A football pitch split at the halfway line. The left half is patchy and worn; the right half is crisp, evenly striped and raised on a platform above it.

Five questions from Who Gets to Spend

The essay Who Gets to Spend separates five questions that are often answered as one. Each links to the part of that essay that deals with it.

  1. SurvivalCan the club meet its obligations?
  2. Spending permissionHow much squad cost is permitted?
  3. ControlWho exercises club authority?
  4. AccessWho can enter and advance?
  5. Individual suitabilityWho may own or run a club?

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