EXPOSE DE FOOTBALL

INTRODUCTION

Soccer is a collective sport which is mainly played on the foot with a spherical ball. It opposes two teams of eleven players in a stadium, whether on a grassy field or on a floor. The purpose of each side is to put the ball into the opposing goal, without using the arms, and to do it more often than the other team. Indeed, this sport today has become a real business hence the subject of our study today.

1. SOCCER, A BUSINESS

Soccer has become a real business where the teams are the factories and the players of the goods. This industry is strongly controlled by multinationals which exert a terrible influence not only on the direction of the teams which they hold but also on the quality even of the play produced by the players. A border of no return?

1. SOCCER’S PLAYER, A BUSINESS

"A soccer’s player is now a really business. Indeed, he always has people at his service, and his career may be different from that of the team."

Moreover, with the enormous sums which they invest, the multinationals make and defeat the players. It’s a kind of matrix where ultimately nobody is exactly what it seems. From managers to footballers, they are all like puppets for these big companies whose football business is flourishing.

1. THE SALARY OF SOCCER’S PLAYER

When we consider the players' salaries - without offending the efforts made by them on the field - we are often tempted to ask ourselves is it not too much.

Look, for a player, a company is ready to pay hundreds of millions of euros. Which begs the question what they gain from these multinationals? Quite legitimate question for a layman.

But without taking into account the financial and economic benefits for them.

The candidacy for the expatriation of many players from the continent is not based only on sporting considerations, but also and above all financial. And there, the inequalities are very marked, because playing in the first or second division in Europe, it is guaranteed to win a lot of money.

The foot, the arm, every part of a player’s body is a great commodity for these companies. When Samuel Eto’o wears the shoes of the Puma brand for example, do not think that the German brand does it because he likes the magic foot of the Cameroonian striker.

In addition, several companies can share the body parts of the player. One brand for the jersey, another for the shoes, etc. And its business that makes its way this way.

1. A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE GAME

By this, the multinationals have managed to make certain players apart from their teammates. Simple to understand: these great players are like the apple of the eye of these companies; they take special care of it.

In return, these must stand out from other players, they must stand out. We thus see the development of individualities for the benefit of the collective. The Fiorentina coach did not think so well: "(...) football has become a group discipline made up of individuals".

Consequence: the spectacle (a combination of individuals) seems to have disappeared on the pitch. As a result, what Vincenzo Montella calls positive football based on responsibility, creation, beauty, reflection practically no longer exists. It can only give disappointing results. Because industrial football kills the game. We have to stop it.

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