#1 ·
Hello.
We are approaching the start of the football seasons across the globe—not long now. It prompted me to open this thread... I assume most of you here possess a decent understanding of the game.
The topic is football and club politics. We all know that football has become an extension of politics and marketing—it almost entirely boils down to money now, rather than a genuine love for the sport itself. Those moments belonged to the era of Pelé and players of his caliber... but back to the point. I read somewhere that Real Madrid was offering around $180 million for Gareth Bale. He is undoubtedly an excellent player—perhaps the best fullback in the world right now—but isn't that price a bit excessive? Or consider Neymar, who moved to Barcelona for $59 million... quite high for a player who hadn't been fully tested yet. One must also note he had just arrived in Europe; South American football is fundamentally different from what we see here in Europe, let's be honest. There was a time when top players cost $35 million and people thought it was insane—now, a player just starting their career costs $35 million. That is simply modern football. Club philosophies vary everywhere—some prefer stacking rosters with overpaid superstars, while others focus on young, unknown talents who produce staggering results despite the lack of fame. Personally, I admire the Borussia Dortmund approach—they don't chase headlines or waste massive sums on transfers; they find an unknown talent for under $12 million and develop them into a star that every major club begins to fight over. Napoli also maintains a solid policy, as does Juventus—they are disciplined with recruitment and rarely miss, avoiding those massive price tags. Liverpool has followed a similar path lately, shifting their focus toward younger prospects, which wasn't always their style.
A friend recently mentioned an interesting system being integrated into the sport: FFP, or Financial Fair Play, which went into effect during the 2009/10 season.
Here is his take:
If you want to dig deeper, feel free to use Google. 🙂
I would like to hear your perspectives on modern football and the various policies these clubs employ.
peace 🙂
We are approaching the start of the football seasons across the globe—not long now. It prompted me to open this thread... I assume most of you here possess a decent understanding of the game.
The topic is football and club politics. We all know that football has become an extension of politics and marketing—it almost entirely boils down to money now, rather than a genuine love for the sport itself. Those moments belonged to the era of Pelé and players of his caliber... but back to the point. I read somewhere that Real Madrid was offering around $180 million for Gareth Bale. He is undoubtedly an excellent player—perhaps the best fullback in the world right now—but isn't that price a bit excessive? Or consider Neymar, who moved to Barcelona for $59 million... quite high for a player who hadn't been fully tested yet. One must also note he had just arrived in Europe; South American football is fundamentally different from what we see here in Europe, let's be honest. There was a time when top players cost $35 million and people thought it was insane—now, a player just starting their career costs $35 million. That is simply modern football. Club philosophies vary everywhere—some prefer stacking rosters with overpaid superstars, while others focus on young, unknown talents who produce staggering results despite the lack of fame. Personally, I admire the Borussia Dortmund approach—they don't chase headlines or waste massive sums on transfers; they find an unknown talent for under $12 million and develop them into a star that every major club begins to fight over. Napoli also maintains a solid policy, as does Juventus—they are disciplined with recruitment and rarely miss, avoiding those massive price tags. Liverpool has followed a similar path lately, shifting their focus toward younger prospects, which wasn't always their style.
A friend recently mentioned an interesting system being integrated into the sport: FFP, or Financial Fair Play, which went into effect during the 2009/10 season.
Here is his take:
Since then, through to the start of the upcoming season (2014/15), we have been in a testing phase. Many clubs simply ignore these "rules." The wealthy stay wealthy, while the smaller clubs grow even poorer because of this. This testing period involves quarterly financial monitoring; if a club fails the "test," they face suspension from FIFA/UEFA competitions. Furthermore, clubs lose out on the revenue following them from those very tournaments. For instance, Real Madrid won't feel any "penalty," whereas a club like Zrinjski will feel it drastically, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a budget that barely exceeds $1.5 million. A few million euros means nothing to Real Madrid—it’s pocket change to them.
If you want to dig deeper, feel free to use Google. 🙂
I would like to hear your perspectives on modern football and the various policies these clubs employ.
peace 🙂