The bottom line: after years of growth, a flailing world economy and staggering player salaries have forced some European and South American clubs to consider salary caps and, worse, bankruptcy - Statistical Data Included

Soccer Digest, June-July, 2002 by Clemente Lisi

The woes even extend to the most fabled soccer South American country: Brazil. That nation's clubs--no strangers to corruption or financial peril--were given a tongue-lashing by the government, which released a 1,600-page report following a 14-month probe in January. The report stated that unscrupulous club officials had plundered the sport over the past few years. The government's inquiry recommended that criminal charges be brought against 17 leading figures, including Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira for tax evasion and Vasco de Gama president Eurico Miranda, who has been accused of diverting funds into a secret bank account and then pocketing the money. "Lack of control, disorganization, and bad management reign in the CBF," says Geraldo Althoff, a Brazilian senator who compiled the report. "Ricardo Teixeira, as president, is directly responsible for creating an environment which is ripe for an administrative disaster."

Can the precarious state of soccer's global economy be saved? Some argue the only way is to create accountability--to simply punish those who steal from the clubs. "The quality of management for the clubs need to be improved," says Agricol De Bianchetti, the Argentine soccer federation's legal advisor. "If the numbers don't add up, they should be sent to jail."

Unfortunately, if the numbers don't add up--and end up in the black--even if corrupt officials are locked down, soccer fans will be shut out.

Highest Transfer Fees, All-Time

RANK NAME                  TEAMS                  DATE        FEE

1.  Zinedine Zidane        Juventus to Real
                             Madrid               July 2001     $67m
2.  Luis Figo              Barcetona to Real
                             Madrid               July 2000   $53.3m
3.  Hernan Crespo          Parma fo Lazio         Aug. 2000   $51.4m
4.  Christian Vieri        Lazio to Inter Milan   Aug. 1999   $44.7m
5.  Juan Sebastian Veron   Lazio to Manchester
                             United               July 2001   $40.5m
6.  Rui Costa              Fiorentina to AC
                             Milan                July 2001   $35.3m
7.  Nicolas Anelka         Arsenal to Real
                             Madrid               Aug. 1999   $33.9m
8.  Giantuigi Buffon       Parma to Juventus      July 2001   $33.6m
9.  Gabriel Batistuta      Fiorentina to Roma     June 2000   $32.4m
10. Lilian Thuram          Parma to Juventus      June 2001   $31.7m
Record Transfer Fees

YEAR   NAME                TEAMS                          FEE

1968   Pietro Anastasi     Varese to Juventus             $720,000
1973   Johan Cruyff        Ajax Amsterdam to Barcelona      $1.33m
1978   Paolo Rossi         Juventus to Vicenza               $2.5m
1982   Diego Maradona      Boca Juniors to Barcelona        $4.32m
1984   Diego Maradona      Barcelona to Napoli               $7.2m
1990   Roberto Baggio      Fiorentina to Juventus           $11.5m
1992   Jean-Pierre Papin   Marseille to AC Milan            $14.4m
1996   Alan Shearer        Blackburn Rovers to
                             Newcastle United               $21.6m
1997   Ronaldo             Barcelona to Inter Milan         $25.9m
1999   Nicolas Anelka      Arsenal to Real Madrid           $33.9m
1999   Christian Vieri     Lazio to Inter Milan             $44.7m
2000   Hernan Crespo       Parma to Lazio                   $51.4m
2000   Luis Figo           Barcelona to Real Madrid         $53.3m
2001   Zinedine Zidane     Juventus to Real Madrid            $67m