Inequality will see me quit

ALAN Dowson says favouritism regarding financial aid for big clubs over Non-League sides will drive him to quit the game.

The Woking manager believes the government and football authorities should treat clubs equally in their financial support.

The Cards are part-time in the National League but were in playoff contention before the season was suspended. And Dowson reckons there needs to be a level playing field regardless of the debt clubs may be in.

“Yes, we’ll need money and we’ll have to talk to players next month, but because they (the board) run it properly and well, we haven’t got this big disaster that some clubs have got,” he told the club’s website.

“If the government bail people out, and I think the Football League should help, if the bigger ones get more than us then that’s scandalous. It will drive me to quitting. You work your socks off every day, we can’t sign a player for £1,000 a week, we can’t do signing-on fees, we can’t buy a player for £30,000, that’s not our fault but it’s also not our fault that clubs have got themselves in £500,000 or a million in debt.

“If the government say we’ll give Woking £20,000 and we’ll give someone else £100,000, that’ll make me want to walk away from football.

“If you don’t live within your means then, I’m afraid, that’s your problem.

“Another concern is the top people in the Premiership, do they care enough about people like Woking? They might want us to struggle as Non-League clubs so more people watch them because it’s greed.

“I do think it will change football forever in our leagues. I think we’ll have more part-time teams; the clubs will have the say on players because they won’t be able to demand the money they can.”