On
Wednesday the 28th of May 2003, Juventus & AC Milan crossed swords in one
of the most eagerly contested Champions League Finals of the modern era. After
120 minutes of solid stalemate, Milan claimed the crown through a winning
penalty from Andriy Shevchenko, adding a further honor to the Milanese giants seemingly
endless trophy haul. A lack of goals has unfortunately pushed the contest to the
back of many a supporters memory, but for those 63,000 that crammed into Old
Trafford that night, they lay witness to a match that would signal the end of Italian
football's dominance of the club game. Both teams boasted star studded line ups
chock full of World Cup winners, decorated club legends & some that will forever
be revered among the game's greatest ever players. Both clubs had invested
heavily in their playing squads, with a total transfer fee accumulation of well
over $300M on show. With this in mind it seems unfathomable what the next
decade would have in store for those certified as Calcio aficionado's. Piece by
piece both clubs, and the rest of the Italian league, would suffer immensely
both on & off the field. Parma & Fiorentina started the unfortunate
chain of events with highly publicized insolvency cases, this after amassing
large mountains of debt, which inevitably lead to them falling down the
divisions. Lazio & Roma weren't far behind their southern counterparts, as
they were laid bare in a fire sale that saw many of their top players flogged
for a fraction of their true worth. While the two giants from the capital
remained in Italy's top flight, their performances simply couldn't match their
ambition. The case that topped the lot has to be the demotion of Juventus, who
were found guilty of match fixing in 2006. After a long drawn out affair they
were sent to Serie B, which ultimately ravaged their playing squad. Remarkably
all of these clubs have returned to a level of prominence within their domestic
competition, yet it seems there is some way to go before they are to command
once more on the highest European stage. What then are we to make of these
Italian clubs status within the game? Are they now no longer "Big
clubs" simply because their financial muscle is so weak or their ability
to conquer European competition is so fragile? In this piece I intend to
explore how clubs in the modern era are struggling to find an equilibrium between
club size & club performance.
To
many the late 00's and early 10's of the 21st century will forever be remembered
as the era of EPL. The English Premier League has reached juggernaut proportion,
and it would appear that it shows no regard for slowing down. It has
established itself as the world's most lavish competition, with a multitude of
television companies plowing seemingly endless sums of money into the game with
almost frivolous regard. A subsidiary of this economic upsurge has been the
players that ply their trade in the league, causing a tidal wave of enthusiasm
for the world's elite to make their way onto one of its 20 teams. Additions
such as Shevchenko, Ozil & Robinho to the premiership, were big money moves
that displayed the leagues attraction to those with similarly vast reputations
elsewhere. The poster child of a club who has undergone meteoric rise during
this period is Manchester City. They are a club with a rich tradition within
the upper echelons of English football, but carried no major threat to the
countries consummate title challengers. Since the clubs acquisition by the Abu
Dhabi United Group, they have propelled themselves into serious domestic &
European contestants. The clubs signing policy has clearly impacted this
elevation, with the board presiding over £650M of spending on incoming players.
The paradigm hasn't been lost on the countries smaller clubs, as some who were previously
considered as "back-water's" in footballing terms, are now regarded
as serious commodities. Fernando Hierro moving to Bolton, Geovanni switching to
Hull, Edwin Van Der Sar opting for Fulham; these are but a few examples of
transfers in the last decade that challenge what we would all regard as
"comparable" moves. Let's assume that those examples were purely
motivated by salary, which may or may not be the case, surely the reason those
individuals had achieved iconic status was their desire for victory? In
building their careers the focus must have been on winning championships,
qualifying for European competition, and taking on the best the game has to
offer. Now they are turning out in front of less than 20,000 each week, at
clubs whose ambition level is to finish 1 place above the relegation zone. That's
all well and good, but what then of the club who has a higher stature than
those propping up the EPL, yet cannot match their financial strength? How do
they attract players that are capable of maintaining their club's status, yet
aren't within their budgetary constraints? Lets challenge that thought for a
moment. What if the answer was to spend money on foundations rather than
signings? That won't win us trophies......right?
Over
the past decade the Spanish La Liga & Portuguese Primeira Liga lead the
table in having generated the highest transfer revenue income in world football.
Despite this the same competitions participant's have enjoyed continued representation
in the latter stages of both of UEFA's major club competitions. So if they are
the highest grossing exporters of football players, how then do their big clubs
continue to maintain their status? Let's take Porto as a case study, since 2004
they have spent in the region of €75M on 1st team players, yet have recouped an
amazing €487 on those same purchases. During this period they have undergone
many facelifts, managerial changes, socio-economic downturns & baron years,
yet they have still maintained their ability to sit as one of Europe's top
clubs. Porto, like many other supposed "selling" clubs, have saw
income as a means to invest in longevity versus short term gain. While they
remain an extremely proud club with valiant traditions, they must look to the
future purely as a means of maintenance. In a time when the boom & bust
culture of football is very much in full swing, consistency is a prize many
should strive for.
So
what now do we use to quantify what a big club truly is? As clubs seek to
"expand their horizon's" by incorporating worldwide marketing campaigns,
and investors continue to plow millions into the teams coffers, our ability to
grade footballing establishments has become slightly skewed. The good old (crowd
size x trophies won + good players) equation has grown to become largely redundant,
such is the inequality in the factors that go into establishing these facets.
Whatever we may regard as being a "big club" quality these days, one
thing cannot be dismissed, and that's their ability to remain relevant. In a
time when club football has become exuberantly transient, we all have a part to
play in how we conceive stature. If anything the English Premiership is no more
than an overly inflated membership scheme, that should we all switch off from
watching tomorrow would simply internally combust. With many clubs operating on
a wage bill that is derived from almost 75% of their annual turnover, it's
clear that the public interest generated in the league is the allure for the
megalomaniacs that orchestrate these corporations. We are living in an
extremely fragile time in football, therefore it's the clubs who operate efficiently
that will invariably prosper. Self sufficiency is a hard pill to swallow for
supporters, especially if the fruits of that labor are not instantly bearing.
Big clubs are not those who challenge for honors over short periods of time,
but those who will be in that same position in for many more to come. They are
those who remain loyal to their fan base and listen to what those who have
invested years of time & energy truly want. They are those who treat
players with respect, and remain cognizant of the impact they have on the local
community. Big clubs are those who embody the stature they possess, and remain
consistent with those beliefs because they are forthright & educated. In
this time of mass media & televised sport, clubs are often propelled onto
us as 11 players wearing shiny new uniforms, but we need to take a moment to
peel back the layers. Only then can we
really establish who the world's big clubs truly are.
“In the sweep of its appeal, its
ability to touch every corner of humanity, football is the only game that
needed to be invented.”
Sir Bobby
Charlton
Posts
