 |
| About the only good thing happening in football right now! |
The game whose goals mirror real life, namely hard work, honesty, teamwork and skill are in danger of being cast aside through no fault of the game's itself. The ugly spectre of greed and corruption are in danger of enveloping football like a cancer, killing off the notion once and for all that football is indeed a sport.
From F.I.F.A. down, corruption is infiltrating the game. The only man to attempt to contend the recent F.I.F.A. Presidency, Mohamed bin Hammam, is under investigation on corruption charges. Sepp Blatter claims that his mission for the rest of his tenure as President he will rid the game of corruption. This from the man who famously said women should wear skimpier kits to promote the women's game! Yet what evidence do we see of this happening? Jack Warner, the man who was adamant that "Blatter must be stopped" is now "retired" and on a 20 year pension. Smacks of a pay-off don't you think?
Just recently, in an attempt to see "real news" over here in the States, my wife and I have taken to watching Al Jazeera and "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on Current TV. Al Jazeera recently highlighted the current plight of corruption in the game with an excellent programme. It is well worth watching. The situation is increasingly getting worse.
In Finland, players have been offered hundreds of thousands of Euros to alter the outcome of games. The betting rings centre around Singapore and Malaysia. However, the plight in Turkey is particularly worrying. In some ways, you'd expect struggling footballers to be susceptible to financial "rewards" but not players who play in the top flight of a league. Fenerbache is a name that is familiar to me and anyone who has followed European football for any amount of time. Today their name is mud after serious match fixing allegations were levied against them. Their President is included in the scandal.. 22 people are in jail.
So what causes this malaise? Well, my Mother was rather apt at trotting out sayings to me as a little boy. They have proved to be very true as I have grown older. The phrase that comes to mind now is "money is the root of all evil" is very very appropriate!
There has been such an influx of money into the game in the last twenty years. Players earn in hours what most fans earn in a year. Corporate sponsors are falling over themselves in their attempt to have their name plastered all over tournaments, stadia, shirts etc. Yet this fuels the greed. F.I.F.A.'s revenue in 2010 went passed $1 billion dollars for the first time. There needs to be a drastic change in policy in ensuring that there is a greater redistribution of the wealth the games generates. Image is wonderful but there needs to be a complete change in what the money does. Obviously what is going on is not good enough.
U.E.F.A. - the game's governing body in Europe - had the idea of charging ridiculous prices for the game's showpiece event, the Champions League final that took place at Wembley Stadium between Barcelona and my beloved Manchester United. The cheapest seat at the game was $171 if you happened to use a wheelchair. Otherwise it was $284 (don't forget the astronomical booking and administration fee), rising to $7,562 for the "prawn sandwich brigade" in the corporate suites. The idea was to deter people from buying from ticket touts, or scalpers as they're known over here. Yet touts won't care: they know that there are people who are desperate to see a game will buy whatever the price. So they show good Keynesian Economic principles and speculate to accumulate! Michel Platini, once a tremendously gifted footballer and now President of U.E.F.A., apologized for the decision. Having prices that high in today's economic climate was insensitive to say the least. Bloody stupid would be accurate! Wembley has been granted the final in 2013 to commemorate the F.A's 150th birthday. I await with bated breath what the prices will be for future finals.
The game is the people's game. It is a game born out of the working class areas of Northern England and exported to over 200 countries worldwide. F.I.F.A. has more members than the United Nations for goodness sake! F.I.F.A recognizes Palestine!
The desire to cater to to the corporate masses leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Don't the game's governing bodies realize that increasing ticket prices will lead ultimately to falling attendances and fans seeking games that are more competitively priced to watch? The knock on effect will lead to companies not wanting to advertise in the game which will lead to falling revenues if they see that their product isn't getting maximum publicity. What's next, companies dictating to TV stations and the Premier League saying if it isn't a sell-out crowd then the game can't be shown live on TV, because we won't get the exposure we want and demand the game be "blacked out" because we put in millions of pounds?
Players need to look at themselves and say "how much do I really need?" I don't blame players for wanting to secure a good life style for themselves in what is a relatively short career but the figures touted around today are ridiculous. A salary cap is needed. I've said it on here before and it needs to be said again - the game I love can learn from the N.F.L. and their attitude towards players' wages.
I've been to a United game on a "corporate outing"; it was a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich 10 years ago. The rep who I bought cardboard boxes off was a big United fan. Bigger than me for certain. Paul Knowles was his name. Used to refer to Old Trafford as "Mecca". Paul and myself were the only ones who seemed to actually care about the game. The others in their suits seemed to not give a hoot. I love United very much but the prices keep going up and up. In the 1993-1994 season I didn't miss a home game. I can't see that happening ever again. Linda and I will follow United with the passion and intensity we have since we've been together but for live games we'll be going to see more lower league games. United trips will be a treat. Sad to say but true.
The game is the people's game. Its whole raison d'etre reeks of socialism! Teamwork, togetherness and a desire for the common good are core values when those players cross the white line. Win together, lose together. The game's governing bodies need to realise that by spreading the income they receive more evenly will result in a more well balanced game, a more open game and ultimately a more honest game. Football is the best sport in the world in my book and we need to make sure it stays that way and not become any more rotten that what is sadly happening now.
Anyhow, I don't want to end on a sad note. We're off to Foxborough next week to see United. We can't wait! There'll be a full match report and plenty of pictures to share.
Thankyou for reading this article wherever you are in the world. I am so pleased with the statistics I have seen. This is my first foray into "blogging" and I enjoy writing. Please contact me with ideas for blogs etc. Please be nice with your suggestions!
Ed
No comments:
Post a Comment