Aug 15
2008Wresting Control From The Red Devils
Filed Under (Sports) by Antonio da Silva on 15-08-2008
Tagged Under : Sports
The power held by the richest clubs in club football in deciding how to run the game has been reduced has fallen in recent years. This has taken place due to the stand taken by important bodies especially UEFA and FIFA which has meant that many of football’s traditional values have made a comeback. 2 of these big changes are mentioned here, however, there is still a lot that can be done.
The first big change occurred in 2003, when UEFA eliminated for once, and for all, the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Put simply, the second group stage had been created to maximise the amount of revenue that participating clubs could get. More games meant more money. But more games also meant more player burnouts. It was an exercise in which the main losers were the players themselves.
The other loser was the football fan. 2 group stages simply meant that we had to go through watching each team play 12 games over a couple of months where there would never be a do-or-die situation. It was ultimately boring and a great shame because the greatness and prestige of the European Cup (as it was called before) had been built upon magnificent, nerve-wrecking knockout games. Going through 2 group stages before reaching the knockout meant that the spirit of the European Cup was slowly dying away in the face of money hungry clubs.
The other big change to take place in recent is the disbandment of the G14 group of the richest and most powerful clubs in the world. It was formed in 2000, to represent the interests of these clubs against the interests of the political bodies, mainly UEFA and FIFA.
These interests were only self-interests and they were never for the good of the game, contrary to FIFA’s motto. For example, the proposed European league reserved exclusively for these clubs was a talking point a little while back. However, FIFA and UEFA took a stand and prevented its creation. It’s also not a coincidence that during the 8 years the G14 was in function, that the gap between the rich and poor clubs grew the most. That’s why the end of the G14 group of clubs at the beginning of the year was a gigantic step forward.
The abolition of the second group stage and the G14 group of clubs have been largely positive for the way football is run in that football’s interests, rather than club’s self-interests have come back to the forefront. FIFA has lived up to its slogan of “For The Good of the Game” and the signs are that it will continue to wrestle control from clubs. The proposed ‘6+5 rule’ will be another positive development for football if it comes through and gets implemented in Europe. My next article will closely analyse the pros and cons of such a rule if it comes to fruition.
By all means, these 2 changes are only just a beginning to fixing some of football’s problems. The most urgent one is by far the financial gulf between the rich and poor clubs. This is evident in many parts of the world, however, Europe is where it is most prevalent. Finding a solution to reduce this gulf will take time, and I will contribute some solutions in my future articles.
Lastly, the one facet that has truly disappeared from football is club loyalty. Nowadays, it is rare to find a player that spends his entire career at a single club. Paolo Maldini is a rarity and he may well be the last. The lure of money is too much for players, especially younger players such as Cristiano Ronaldo who are ruled by money and arrogance rather than love and loyalty. One wonders where football may be headed in the next decade if this continues.
