Stoke cash idea would just be pie in the sky, admits football finance expert Maguire

A HYPOTHETICAL solution to Stoke City’s FFP headache was brought up and shot down inside two minutes this week by football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

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Maguire's Price of Football podcast talks about clubs’ tactics to try to get around Financial Fair Play or profit and sustainability rules so often that host Kevin Day suggested making it a weekly segment.

The latest instalment dive into the subject came up with a scheme that is often suggested as a potential loophole for a billionaire chairman like John Coates, who is not allowed anywhere near as much as he would like into Stoke's transfer pot.

Championship owners can invest up to £13m each season but otherwise all spending on wages and fees must be covered by the club's revenue, ranging from tickets and merchandise to player sales.

But - it was put to Maguire - what is to stop a willing owner such as Coates from buying a million pies on a match day or some other such caper to top up the coffers for Mark Robins and Jon Walters this summer?