In an increasingly globalised market with reducing trade barriers, there is little that can be done to prevent this style of ownership. In an open market, anybody with the money can buy the club. The more money you have, the more of the club you can buy, and clubs have shown little enthusiasm for the views of ordinary fans. It's a symptom of the world in which we live.
Football has become a commodity – it can be bought and sold. Witness the refusal by Manchester United to play in the FA Cup in 2000. Instead, they travelled to South America and competed in a competition that nobody paid any attention to then or since. Britain's biggest club snubbed Britain's biggest cup competition for the marketing opportunities. In the same vein, Premiership clubs regularly undertake tours of the Far East, to broaden their market appeal in these countries and sell a few thousand more replica shirts. Thailand and Malaysia are full of fanatical supporters of British clubs. Many clubs have started looking outwards to the rest of the world, and while they are not turning their backs on local support, it is less important than it used to be.
In 1996, Rupert Murdoch said “We intend to use sport as a battering ram in all our pay TV operations” and he has been as good as his word. Sky Sports has invested heavily in the Premiership, and it has paid off. Murdoch has unprecedented power over football. Sky's voice is one of the loudest when it comes to the business side of running the Premiership. Sky also owns shares in Manchester United among others, and in the past Murdoch has even made a bid for outright control of the club. This is not an anti-Murdoch rant (although that sounds like the basis for a good article), but does anyone really think that the guy who owns the TV station with the rights to the Premiership should also be allowed own one of its biggest and most competitive clubs?
So what, in summary, are the consequences of globalisation, and what does it mean for the future?Footballing nations no longer have a defining style, or if they do, they're phasing it out. All-out flair is a luxury nobody can afford, and packing the defence will only get you so far.
International football competitions are more open than ever. The super-powers are on the wane, and there is no shortage of countries snapping hungrily at their heels for a glimpse of some silverware. Brazil is still up there, but opponents no longer fear them. Italy has not won a major competition since 1982. Countries no longer attend major competitions to make up the numbers. Proving that Monty Python's Life of Brian was on the right track with “the Greeks shall inherit the earth”, the Greeks did the next best thing in football, and inherited Europe. After their stunning achievements, countries all over the world are thinking: “we could do that”.
Football leagues now attract players from all corners of the globe. Last season, Chelsea, playing in an English league, fielded a team with no English players. It means more money for the established players and makes it more difficult for new ones. To those that have, shall be given.
Anyone can buy or sell shares in a football club, once your club has gone the plc route. Anyone from the guy who attends every match against mediocre opposition on wet nights in November, to the multi-millionaire who has grown bored with racehorses or oil wells. Make up your own mind on that one.
Top clubs look for and get support from all over the world. What hope has the Burmese league, when football fans in Burma are more interested in seeing a Premiership team than watching the local version? In Ireland, clubs like Shelbourne and Bohemians have gone professional and are trying to make the step-up to the next level. Their attendance figures are pitiful, with Shelbourne averaging only 1,000 per game, while 15,000 Irish soccer fans go to Britain each weekend. How can local clubs attract enough support when more glamourous leagues packed with international players are so accessible?
There is a glimmer of hope for the smaller clubs. The Far East might be full of children wearing Premiership replica jerseys, but the wearers of those jerseys won't make it to the Nou Camp or the San Siro every second weekend. Clubs need people to turn up, and if they neglect those who pass through the turnstiles, then they may find an element of their support is leaving. Supporters may abandon the uncaring multinational corporation that was once their football club, in favour of a plain old football club that actually wants their support.
Any sign of this happening, this great revolution of the football proletariat? Well…no. The big clubs are still reporting packed grounds, and merchandising sales are as high as ever. As an aside, it is disappointing to see one club after another line up behind the super-brands of Sports wear. The working conditions in these factories have been well documented elsewhere, packed as they are with children who work 12-16 hour days to make minimum wage if they're lucky. These sweatshops are in the same Asian countries that the football clubs tour in their effort to sell more replica shirts. So hang on, let’s look at this again. The shirts are made by the brands mentioned, for obviously very little. The clubs have their big sponsorship deal. The jerseys are sold around the world for around €50. And now, in a cruel twist, the major clubs are trying to ingratiate themselves in the almost destitute countries where the shirts have been made at a knock-down price. Excuse me if I don't sing the praises of globalisation and free trade right away.
The globalisation of football is not a theory, and it's not necessarily pretty. Look around – it's with us, and it's an unstoppable juggernaut. Watch this space…
Globalisation of Football – a Debate on FootballCulture.net