Pompey chief Mark Catlin says the proposed League One salary cap is bad news for football - and will increase the gap in finances between the division and the Championship.

Catlin says the rules as proposed - which it is thought many L1 clubs are backing - will mean Pompey can only sign five senior players this summer, and even then will not be able to offer them a certain level of wage that they as a club could afford to do.

He told The News: 'Under current proposals, contracts are backdated to June 30, so if we signed a player now his full wage would be under the salary cap. Those signed before that would be counted at the League One average wage.

‘This is why, at the moment, there are loads of players we want to sign, but we’re offering the League One average — and they are laughing at it. And that’s all we can do because we have 18 contracted players — of which one is under 21.

‘With there also going to be a 22-player cap, Haji is exempt. So that’s 17 players who are treated at the divisional average. That leaves us five slots, that’s all we have, and they must also be around the divisional average to fit in with the £2.5m salary cap.

‘If this is voted through, obviously we will need to find ways to adapt. Although with under-21s exempt, we’ll have to focus heavily on the under-21 market — and will adapt our market accordingly.

‘If a club wants to vote, we are not the judge and jury. They have to vote in the best interests of their club. I believe this is bad news for football, I believe it creates a huge gap between League One and the Championship moving forward.

‘This is principally not about self-sustainability, it’s about levelling the playing field. For a club which has argued for self-sustainability for the last seven years, it feels like a smack in the teeth.’

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