<
>

Arsene Wenger: Money is 'destroying' competition in football

LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned that financial imbalance among football clubs is "destroying competition" around Europe.

Wenger said it was clear that "something is not right in our game" with four of Europe's top five domestic leagues practically decided halfway through the season.

Manchester City have an 18-point lead in England, while Bayern Munich are 16 points clear in the Bundesliga and Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain enjoy 11-point gaps in Spain and France respectively.

And Wenger told a news conference: "When you look at the five big leagues in Europe, you can see that the unpredictability of the competition has gone down.

"In December, we already knew four champions of five leagues, so it means something is not right in our game. The huge financial power of some clubs is destroying the competition."

The Premier League is the richest of all European leagues thanks to huge TV revenue, and Arsenal broke their transfer record sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund for £56 million this week.

And Wenger said: "First of all, let's not be fooled by reality -- the financial attraction of the Premier League is superior to everywhere else and that attracts the best players.

"Once the best players are in a country you want to be confronted by them. It is attractive on the competitive side, but that is always linked with the economic power."