Rich Just Getting Richer in Premiership

It has long been a point of dissatisfaction that Europe's most important soccer leagues are dominated by a few select — and noticeably rich — clubs. The season is a long one, stretching from September through May, and when it's over, the winners in Spain will probably be Barcelona or Real Madrid; in Italy, AC Milan or Juventus or Inter-Milan; in Germany, Bayern Munich, and so on.

This year, possibly, things will be slightly different because Bayern lies only fourth in the German league, while Juventus — punished for last season's match-fixing scandals - are laboring in the second division Serie B (though they are top of that division and look set for a return to Serie A next season).

But those exceptions are minor matters, because the Law of the Rich has been affirmed in an extraordinary way in England. There, Manchester United and Chelsea are sweeping all before them — to such an extent that their power threatens to engulf the European championship as well.

This is the situation: One English title — the not-so-important Carling Cup — has already been decided. It was won by Chelsea, with a 2–1 victory over Arsenal. This past weekend, both Chelsea and Manchester United won the their semifinals in the much more important F.A. Cup — and will meet in the final May 19 at the newly-renovated Wembley Stadium.

Then there's the Premier League which, with only six match-dates left, is already a two-horse race. Manchester leads Chelsea by three points, with third-place Liverpool a distant 14 points behind. If ManU and Chelsea keep winning, the showdown will come when they meet at Chelsea on May 9 — the penultimate game of the season, and one that could well decide which of them wins the title.

A win for Chelsea — who are unbeaten in 16 games at home this season — would level the points total. But equal points would give the title to ManU, because in the goaldifference tie-breaker Manchester's plus-52 (75 goals scored minus 23 goals allowed) is vastly superior to Chelsea's plus-37 (56 minus 19). Chelsea have to keep winning and to hope for a ManU slipup.

On top of all that, both clubs are still very much alive in the European champions league, the most prestigious honor of all. The league is at the semifinal stage, with Chelsea playing Liverpool, and ManU facing AC Milan, each in a two-game home-and-home series, the games to be played between April 24 and May 2. The chances of yet a third ManU vs. Chelsea showdown — at the European final on May 23 in Athens — are considered high, as both are rated favorites to win their semifinals.

While Chelsea and ManU hog the spotlight, another famous English club is involved in a much less glamorous tussle — but one that could have important longterm effects on the professional game.

Newcastle United is often cited as having the most devoted fans in England. Devoted ... and patient, for Newcastle has not won a major title since its F.A. Cup triumph in 1955, 52 years ago. But hope is always high, never more so than in August 2005 when Newcastle paid Real Madrid a club record of $30 million for star striker Michael Owen.

Evidently a snake-bitten signing, for Owen suffered a broken foot late in December of that year. He returned — for only a 30-minute spell as a substitute — in April 2006 and was rather surprisingly, given his questionable fitness, included in the England squad for the World Cup in Germany.

Disaster struck Owen in England's third game, against Sweden on June 20, when he fell awkwardly and was stretchered off the field. Ligaments in his right knee were damaged, and Owen has not played a competitive game since.

His 10 months of inactivity is coming to an end. The 27-year-old has been passed fit to resume his career with Newcastle. Possibly also with England — but not if the Newcastle chairman, Freddy Shepherd, has any say in the matter.

Shepherd is incensed that, although Owen was injured while playing for England, the club has had to cover all his medical expenses while continuing to pay Owen his $200,000-a-week salary.

The English F.A., which controls the national team's finances, has been meeting only half of Owen's salary, while FIFA's one-off payment of $1 million is considered inadequate by Shepherd, who asked for $6 million.

What has further angered Shepherd is his conviction that a fit Owen is likely to be recalled to the England team for the important European Championship qualifying game against Estonia in June. Under FIFA's international regulations, the F.A. has the right to demand that Newcastle make Owen available. Shepherd complains: "We have not been paid a penny by the F.A. for Owen's recuperation bill. They have not paid the price of even an aspirin ... they then have the cheek to ask him to return [to the England team]."

Compensation is the issue here, and it is something that is already causing considerable problems for FIFA. Charleroi, a Belgian club, has taken FIFA to court in Belgium, claiming $750,000 in compensation for its player Abdelmajid Oulmers, who was seriously injured while playing for his country, Morocco. Charleroi are also claiming that FIFA's diktat that clubs must release players for certain international games is a contravention of European Union labor laws. The court rejected Charleroi's claim for damages, but referred the legality issue to the European Court of Justice, where the wheels grind slowly indeed, and no verdict is expected before the spring of 2008.

But Newcastle wants action now. "If the F.A. don't offer us a fair settlement, we are prepared to go to court to get an injunction that could stop Michael playing for England against Estonia," Shepherd says. "Our lawyers believe there is a very good chance we can win this case."

Possibly they can, though courts everywhere have been traditionally reluctant to meddle in sports legislation — an attitude that suits FIFA, which has in the past suspended clubs that resort to the courts. But it is an attitude that — as the Charleroi case makes clear — is falling apart in the moneysoaked world of modern soccer.

pgardner@nysun.com