STABİLİTE? HANGİ STABİLİTE?

FOOTBALL IS DEAD

08 November 2016 GMT: 18:16

James Dostoyevsky: Football is dead

I have been watching social events, political mayhem, financial meltdowns and cultural phenomena for too many years not to understand and accept how very important every human interaction is to, well, at least SOMEbody.

What I never fully grasped, is how some things that have no meaningful bearing on literally anything (despite the ludicrous and painful assertions that claim otherwise) can allegedly contribute to World Peace, the resolution of the worst political conflict or indeed the sex drive of the common garden snail…

One such thing that has been elevated to nigh-saintdom is football. Or, shall we say, Association Football (as opposed to Rugby, which little British town was the birthplace for both).

The amount of absolute gibberish – further rendered ludicrous by a small man from the Canton de Valais, deeply embedded in a Swiss alpine refuge – that accompanied this game over the past four decades is quite mind-boggling:

Instead of simply accepting that football is a game, nothing else, the recent FIFA management (the one before GI Joe, although Joe threatens to move pretty much in the same direction) lifted this father-and-son pastime (laterly also mother-and-daughter pastime) to such levels of exceptionalism that any straight-thinking person would have had to scratch his/her head over the completely insane claims that were associated with a simple ball, 22 pairs of legs, a (hopefully) green pitch, two goals and a few – usually blind and deaf, and sometimes crooked – referees.

Under Blatter, football became a world power by its own definition and Messiah Blatter’s making. It was suddenly so much more than a game. It had morphed into an instrument of World Peace (sorry but: bullshit), it suddenly had massive educational value (team play, fair play and playing sitar on my nerves) and was yet another tool to instrumentalise equality for women (errhm, what?). Football fights racism, it was proclaimed (no, it doesn’t), it brings people together (nonsense: go visit Red Star vs Partizan, both Belgrade, and dare say that again; or try Olympiakes/Panathinaikos and cry), and takes kids out of the ghetto (no, it doesn’t: education does and equal opportunity does, not bloody football!).

Suddenly, football turned into some sort of heal-it-all by Blatter’s making. It was changing the world (For the game. For the World. – what a load of horsemanure!), and it was helping the poor (are you serious? Have you ever looked at South Africa and Brazil AFTER the world cup? Give me a break!). In his ever-increasing self-acclamation, and the complete delusion that football was a thing of world leaders and those who generally run things, Blatter’s FIFA lifted off to cloud la-la (or 9, if you wish) and looked down to earth with much pity and zero compassion. Because the compassion the Blatterites preached was about as honest as Chuck Blazer’s weight loss programme.

The reality of football is stark and very different: just the other day, FIFA fined Iran’s soccer federation CHF45,000 “for several religious manifestations” when the country hosted South Korea in Tehran on October 11; FIFA fined the Croatian and Kosovan soccer federations a total of CHF80,000 for anti-Serbian chants. This magazine also reported only a few days ago: “In other cases, FIFA imposed a series of fines for “incidents involving discriminatory and unsporting conduct by fans, including homophobic chants in some instances” at recent World Cup qualifying matches. FIFA fined the Albania federation CHF50,000 for a range of incidents at a home qualifier against Macedonia in September. And the Ukraine federation was fined CHF15,000 for fans displaying a “discriminatory flag” when it hosted Kosovo last month in Krakow, Poland. Brazil was fined CHF25,000 for anti-gay slurs during a home match against Bolivia in Natal on October 6. Paraguay’s federation was fined CHF20,000 and the Argentina and Chile federations were each fined CHF15,000 Swiss francs ($15,400) for similar offenses. Estonia was fined CHF20,000 for insulting chants by fans when hosting Greece in Tallinn on October 10.”

So, what’s with the high-flying ideals? Football’s fabulous contribution to World Peace, the easing of political tensions (yeah right, see Israel-Palestine football mayhem) and the healing power of the game?

It is time FIFA finally understood that football is just a game. It is not a game-changer. Football’s alleged power to do good is a fairytale and then some. The game was never anything more than 22 men or women kicking a ball around a pitch, trying their utmost to win, be that by dirty, foul or sporting means.

Football is a reflection of society. Its racism is society’s racism. Its homophobia is society’s homophobia, its nasty traits are society’s nasty traits.

Football is not only a direct reflection of societal ills, it is the expression of those ills by masses of the most primitive foot-soldiers of societies that appear to need a valve to let loose, to scream their smut into the sky and to feel comfortably anonymous – thus empowered – in a group of equally sick-minded folk.

FIFA should stop pontificating about the greatness of a game that is neither great nor particularly special. It is nothing but a game. And it is a game that has been perverted by money just like any other aspect of modern (Western) life where the little guy has lost direction and is desperately trying to find ways to express his frustration with a life he no longer cherishes nor understands.

Football, I’m afraid, is dead. Its ludicrous claims to be a power for good were kicked in the teeth by its own administrators. FIFA’s own conduct, and that of innumerable of its “leaders”, who quickly exchange the bicycle and sandy sandals for a private jet as soon as they inhabit high office, indicates that football is sickly and deplorably fraught with the worst that society has on offer.

Football is not a contributor to World Peace. It is not a means to help diffuse conflict and it is nothing but a simple game, played by simple gladiators of a society that is simply and badly in decay, nearing collapse.

Repair the game, get rid of its ills and then start preaching about a Brave New World, Mr and Mrs FIFA. And hopefully not the way Aldous Huxley so amply did.

James Dostoyevsky is a Washington-based observer of politics and sports. He can be contacted at moc.llabtoofdlrowedisni@ofni

AYİNESİ ,İŞTİR KİŞİNİN LAFA BAKILMAZ

VERS UN DECLIN DU FOOTBALL EUROPEEN?

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Étude démographique du football en Europe

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Drs Raffaele Poli, Loïc Ravenel et Roger Besson

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1. Introduction

Ce Rapport Mensuel présente les principaux résultats du recensement annuel effectué depuis 2009 par l’Observatoire du football CIES sur le profil des joueurs actifs dans 31 ligues de première division de pays membres de l’UEFA.

L’échantillon se compose des footballeurs présents au 1er octobre ayant joué en championnat lors de la saison en cours ou ayant disputé des rencontres dans des championnats adultes lors de chacune des deux saisons précédentes. Les deuxièmes et troisièmes gardiens sont pris en compte dans tous les cas.

L’étude montre que la présence de footballeurs formés au club continue à décroître. Alors qu’elle était de 23,0% en 2009, elle passe à 19,2% en 2016. Il s’agit de la valeur la plus faible jamais enregistrée. En parallèle, le taux d’expatriés a atteint un niveau record en 2016: 38,7% (+3,9% depuis 2009).

La plus forte mobilité internationale des joueurs s’accompagne d’une instabilité croissante des effectifs. Le nombre moyen de footballeurs recrutés en cours d’année parmi ceux présents au 1er octobre est passé de 9,1 en 2009 (36,7% des effectifs) à 10,7 en 2016 (43,9%). Dans ce cas aussi, il s’agit d’un nouveau record.

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2. Formation

Selon la définition de l’UEFA, un joueur formé au club a évolué pendant au moins trois saisons entre 15 et 21 ans dans son équipe d’appartenance. En fonction des cas, un joueur peut ne pas avoir de club de formation, en posséder un ou même deux.

Depuis 2009, la présence de joueurs formés au club a diminué de manière constante. Cette catégorie de footballeurs représente désormais moins d’un cinquième des effectifs. Toute porte à croire que la baisse se poursuivra lors des prochaines années.

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D’importants écarts existent en fonction des ligues. Au 1er octobre 2016, les footballeurs formés au club représentaient 31,5% des joueurs en première division slovaque. À l’opposé, ils composaient seulement 6,9% des effectifs en Turquie. Dans deux autres pays, le pourcentage de footballeurs formés au club est inférieur à 10% : Chypre et Portugal.

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3. Migration

La notion d’expatrié définit les joueurs évoluant en dehors du pays où ils ont commencé le football et d’où ils sont partis suite au recrutement effectué par un club étranger. Cette définition permet d’analyser les migrations directement liées à la pratique footballistique.

L’analyse historique montre que la part des expatriés dans les clubs progresse de manière constante. En 2016, pour la première fois depuis que notre recensement est effectué, le pourcentage d’expatriés est plus de deux fois supérieur à celui de joueurs formés au club : 38,7% contre 19,2%.

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À un extrême, les expatriés représentent 65,4% des joueurs en première division chypriote. Cette catégorie de footballeurs est majoritaire dans six autres championnats: Turquie, Angleterre, Belgique, Italie, Portugal et Écosse. À l’autre extrême, en Serbie, les expatriés ne constituent que 16,1% des effectifs.

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4. Mobilité

Pour analyser la mobilité des joueurs, nous prenons en compte le nombre de footballeurs dans les effectifs des équipes ayant été recrutés en cours d’année. Les joueurs issus d’un centre de formation ne sont pas considérés parmi les nouvelles recrues.

Au 1er octobre 2009, les équipes des 31 championnats analysés avaient dans leur effectif 9,1 joueurs engagés après le 1er janvier. Sept ans plus tard, cette valeur passe à 10,7. La permanence moyenne des footballeurs dans le club d’emploi n’a jamais été aussi faible qu’en 2016: 2,2 ans.

En ajoutant au décompte des recrues les footballeurs intégrés en cours d’année en première équipe depuis un centre de formation, le pourcentage moyen de nouveaux joueurs au sein des effectifs atteint 48,1% en 2016. Ce pourcentage était de 41,2% en 2009.

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Les ligues d’Europe de l’Est et du Sud sont sur-représentées parmi celles dont les équipes engagent le plus de joueurs. Au 1er octobre 2016, les clubs portugais avaient en moyenne 14,2 footballeurs recrutés en cours d’année dans leur effectif. Il s’agit d’un niveau deux fois plus important que celui mesuré en Autriche.

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5. Conclusion

Ce Rapport ne donne qu’un petit aperçu des principales tendances qui ont caractérisé le football européen depuis 2009. De nombreuses autres analyses sont possibles grâce aux données patiemment collectées par l’équipe de recherche de l’Observatoire du football CIES.

Malgré son grand intérêt, l’étude effectuée en 2015 comparant la composition des clubs asiatiques et européens (à télécharger ici) n’a malheureusement pas eu de suite. Il demeure néanmoins possible de la rééditer prochainement. Si le cœur de l’économie du football reste l’Europe, des championnats de plus en plus compétitifs se développement rapidement dans d’autres régions du monde.

Dans un contexte très dynamique, la mission de l’Observatoire du football CIES consistant à analyser de manière neutre et objective les tendances à l’œuvre dans le sport le plus populaire de la planète reste plus que jamais d’actualité.

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Rapport mensuel n°19 - Novembre 2016 - Étude démographique du football en Europe

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KAFAYI KUMDAN ÇIKARTABİLMEK

03 November 2016 GMT: 12:31

Saints lure Lander to south coast revolution but Chinese deal hard on price

3rd November 2016 <p class="byline author vcard">By <a href="http://www.insideworldfootball.com/author/paulnicholson/" rel="author" class="fn">Paul Nicholson</a></p>

By Paul Nicholson

November 3 – Saints could soon be marching in to a Chinese tune. The Premier League club are in exclusive negotiation with Lander Sports Development Co. of China though there seems to be some readjustment over valuation of the club.

Owned by Swiss national Katharina Liebherr, the club valuation was initially believed to be about £300 million but the Chinese are understood to have brought this number down to something closer to £200 million.

The reason for this is Chinese accounting treatment that puts player trading below the line, hence they will not include player valuation and sale potential in the overall club valuation. For Southampton, with its rich stream of academy players making it into the Premier League and a succession of cheaply acquired players who have been sold on at higher prices, not being able to include this trading makes a big dent in the valuation.

Liebherr is reported to have been in negotiation with the Chinese for several weeks. Southampton reported a profit of £12 million on sales of £113.7 million for the year ended June 30, 2015. With the new Premier League TV deal kicking in (worth £100 million to clubs) and another summer of successful player trading, the club’s turnover will likely double that figure – its progression in the Europa League will also impact on end year financial results. Profit will be similarly improved.

Saints have become a financial and management success story under the Liebherr family ownership. Having entered administration the club in 2009 had suffered two relegations from the Premier League and Championship to the third tier of English football. Their journey back to 8th place in the Premier League has been a trailblazing model for club owners. Tonight they play Internazionale in the Europa League. Inter were themselves bought by Chinese corporation Suning earlier this year.

Lander until recently was a business focused on the sale and management of property, before reorienting to sports. Investments, according to Bloomberg, include the creation in May of a sports-insurance joint venture with Du-Bang Property & Casualty Insurance Co. and investments to promote winter sports in China, which will host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Ownership of Southampton would be one of Lander’s biggest assets. The company announced a loss of 292.2 million yuan ($44.8 million) on sales of 2.6 billion yuan for the year ended September 30.

Saints would be the second Premier League club to have Chinese ownership after Guochuan Lai completed his £175 million acquisition of West Brom putting the club into the Yunyi Guokai (Shanghai) Sports Development Limited investment vehicle. Hull City are currently in negotiation of a £130 million sale to Greater China Professional Services Limited (GCPSL).

Perhaps the most significant Chinese investment in English football was the £400 million spent on acquiring 13% of Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi holding company City Football Group (CFG) by CMC (China Media Capital) in partnership with Chinese institutional investor CITIC Capital. This deal valued CFG at £3 billion.

Chinese investors have also bought Championship Clubs Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City.