Over the
past few years, each summer the prices for futbol players has gotten ridiculous
and the world record transfers have gone up substantially. The release clauses
for these players is now in the billions.
For
example, if Christiano Ronaldo wanted to move clubs before his contract ends,
the team that buys him would have to pay Real Madrid over 1 billion dollars. This
deal will go on until his contract is up in 2021. Realistically, this fee is unaffordable
due to the Financial Play regulations. So if Ronaldo were to be sold before
2021, it wouldn’t actually amount to 1 billion, but it would still be a record
breaking sum. These numbers largely outpace his estimated market value therefore I find it unnecessary to even
set these prices so high.
The
entire system is flawed because it's solely enabling the best/richest clubs to
buy the best players, giving the smaller teams no chance to compete. The level
of competition is completely stratified, there are really only about 2-3 teams
out of the 20 competing teams that have any chance of winning. Will this lead to the
demise of the non-superstar teams or will UEFA step in and attempt to control
the corruption?
Leicester city one the English premier league two years ago. There chances to win was less than 5%. This team has not by any means been a powerhouse club in the premier league. I do agree that the amount of money it takes to get the best players is egregious, but it doesn't always reflect how the team plays on the pitch. Another example is Manchester United spending millions of dollars on Pogba and Ibrahimovic, and not even making the champions league.
ReplyDeletewon*
DeleteYou're right, it is a little aggressive to say that the other teams have NO chance of beating the top tier teams. However, it is still something that gives the top tier teams an unfair advantage to the smaller teams because although no one can predict the future or the score of a game with certainty, the fact that these players are going for such large sums gives them an advantage and greater chance for improvement without a doubt.
Delete-Natalie
I agree. It doesn't really hurt the clubs with a lot of money when a player they give a huge amount of money doesn't work out because they can just reload the next year. FC Barcelona lost Neymar, and then got a new young talent Dembele. Manchester United was horrible last year, and paid for Lukake from Everton.
DeleteI definitely think that these inflated prices and ridiculous release clauses change the way football is played and how it is managed. Do you think it's something that will last? Or do you think we'll get to a point where the prices are too high and the whole model is destroyed?
ReplyDeleteI feel like it is a stretch to say that things will go so far that the model will be destroyed, but I do think that if something is not done about the prices and monopolizing of major teams then that is a possibility. Something has to change in order for the football world to be what everyone once loved.
Delete-Natalie
Jessica, I think that the whole model could be in fact destroyed. Fans love to see competition and if every game is a blowout win, fans will become bored of watching. If the wealthiest teams continue to get wealthier, the non-super star teams will remain in the shadows. Fans will lose interest. This is why I think it is necessary for regulations to be put into place to prevent the monopolizing of major teams. -Emily
DeleteThis is a great post and I completely agree that whats going on would make it much harder for other teams to compete due to how they couldn't afford any of the top players. Although, I believe this could actually be helpful for football fans who enjoy watching high quality play. I think it would be interesting to watch some of the top football players face off and play together more often as opposed to them being the clear best player most every time they hit the pitch.
ReplyDelete- Jonny Drak