da dobrowin： So Sandro Rosell has weighed in over the debate on club ownership in the Premier League, saying that the English League has effectively ‘sold out’ and that his precious Barcelona would never, ever do that. Rosell blames in influx of American and Middle Eastern money for this, and states that he thinks more clubs should adopt the model of Barcelona. Yet are the points he is making really valid?
da betway： When Roman Abramovich arrived at Chelsea, the game in England changed. The money that the blues then had to play with surpassed anything anyone had seen or imagined before, and it took Chelsea to a new level, both in terms of players and success. Other clubs followed suit, United to the Glazers’, Newcastle to Ashley and notably Manchester City to the Sheiks.
There will always be people who say this is the time that football died, with the game becoming about things other than just going out and playing on a Saturday afternoon, and players now paid excessive wages and living a pre-Madonna lifestyle.
Yet without the money that has now been bought into the Premier League, would we have seen our league become the best in the world and been able to witness the arrival of some of the players we have? It is inevitable that there will always be clubs who are better and richer than others, such is the nature of the world.
Whilst there is certainly an argument to say the gap between the top few teams and the rest has widened due to the purchase of clubs, was there not always a gulf anyway? Before Abramovich came along, the title was challenged by United and Arsenal. That was all. Now, we have Chelsea, United, Arsenal and City as real contenders to the crown.
Yes there is a huge problem with clubs spending more than they can technically afford, and this is something that as to change. Not to mention the financial fair play rules and the ‘fit and proper persons’ test being nothing short of a joke, yet you ask any Chelsea or City fan if they would rather be in the position pre sale – I assure you they would not.
With the influx of money into the Premier League, not only has it made the individual clubs more competitive, but has raised the bar for the league as a whole. Much like Nadal and Federer pushed each other to new heights, this has happened in the Premier League, firstly with Chelsea and now with City, who have raised the bar, and if clubs such as United wish to compete they too have to step up and raise their game.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Despite Rosell’s clear dislike on ownership of clubs in the Premier League, Spain are also getting in on the act, with Malaga being the latest club to be purchased. Of course, if Rosell wants to get into a conversation over how foreign money ruins the Premier League, he should probably asses his own league’s competitiveness first.
In La Liga, you have Real and Barca, then the best of the rest. The way in which TV money is split in Spain is nothing short of extraordinary, with around 65% going to Real and Barca, thus is a major contributor in the division between the top two and the rest. Clubs like Valencia who are forced to sell their best payers would accept a takeover bid in a heartbeat in order to fully be able to compete with Barca and Real financially.
Not to mention the fact that despite his protests, both Barca and Real have agreed to kick off times on a Sunday midday in order to tap into the Asian market – something that they have so far failed to do – at a massive loss to both clubs. An estimated 60 million people in China watched the Real v Osasuna game – double the population of Spain.
Another thing Rosell seemingly has an issue with is the fact that clubs sell their sponsorship rights on shirts and stadiums. Barcelona, of course, sold their rights to the Qatar Foundation – Middle Eastern money – and are £142 million richer for it. For a man who claims to have a problem with Middle Eastern money in the Premier League, he seems comfortable taking enough of it through sponsorship and TV deals.
In short, Rosell and Barcelona, whilst they may have us believe they are Mes Que Un Club, are exactly the same as all other clubs, and are more than willing to sell out in order to have that extra bit of financial muscle.
The difference is that whilst English clubs and Perez are upfront about this, Rosell says the only reason he will obey 12 pm kick-off times is due to legal obligations.
Yes, ownership, TV deals and Sponsorship rights in the Premier League are not everyone’s cup of tea, and there can be no denying that when clubs are spending more than they make, slowly slipping further in to debt, not to mention the wages constantly rising do need addressing. Sadly, these things are now a fact of life in football, and if it allows a club to compete with the teams around them, or raise their game to the next level, who can blame them for accepting the money either for a TV package or a bid for the club? Rosell’s comments would be very admirable if they weren’t so hypocritical.
[divider]
FREE football app that pays you CASH
[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]