[Salopbaggie]

However I think it's football's fault in general, and Barcelona's fault here, that individuals are paid these obscene wages - you can't really blame the player for taking what's on offer!

I agree Drewks but, I would take it one stage further and say it is all the fault of the fans of football.

Stating the obvious here, but the end of the day if fans (and businesses like pubs, who can earn by havening it)  around the world said "no we are not paying for Sky/BT coverage of games" then all the money put into football by those companies would stop over night, you can not sell a product if no one wants to buy it, the rest is just a natural progression.  When you add the clubs are businesses and 'need' to be successful,  in order to keep that money coming in, so have to stay competitive and there are not so many top quality players, it then becomes a sellers market for them.

We can blame the greed of footballers and football clubs all we want, but I do not see the Lai's and the Glazier's out there with guns to peoples heads saying you will buy our products and until that does happen the blame for the money in football has to rest with the fans.