Sir Alex Ferguson recently bemoaned the price of match day tickets at Chelsea, which can be set as high as £85 (the result of the Abramovich ‘revolution’ which has seen ticket prices rise over 70% since his takeover). However, what Ferguson fails to recognize is that ticket prices are just one measure that has led to the mass disenfranchisement of the traditional football fan base. Other factors are the relentless sales pitches bobbing around the electronic advertisement boards, or the outrageously priced sweat-shop produced merchandise. The ostracizing of football fans comes from the very nature of what the sport has become; no single issue can be remedied without recognizing the continuum that produced it.
The second process, prescription, is altogether more challenging. In an article entitled ‘Football: a dear friend to capitalism’, Terry Eagleton makes the ground breaking argument that in its status as a social entity, the modern football fan has been hoodwinked into falling into the lines designed by the prospective capitalist takeover, thus turning football into an addictive and destructive ‘opium of the people’. With the takeover now in its final stages, Eagleton suggests that ‘nobody serious about political change can shirk the fact that the game has to be abolished’.
This line of argument gives up on the intrinsic quality of football; the unique ability to de-marginalize, unify and solidify a people. It is now time these powerful traits be rediscovered.
The unquantifiable successes of FC United of Manchester and AFC Wimbledon – two run away clubs established by the grassroots in protest against the demise of their predecessors – shows that counter forces in football are alive. Their examples disqualify the idea that the masses have been diffused, becoming just another chain in the capitalist armory. Further, it shows that collective and persistent protest can reap benefits. This is an extremely important point.
However, these runaway clubs are quite literally out on their own. Whilst this may stroke the egos of those who revel in the rebel mentality, it is only half a step towards saving football; it fails to realise that the capitalist takeover is a problem not just for one club, but football as a whole. The problem that protest movements face is that football is still very much ‘partisan’, and the affinity towards a club still demands priority over affinity of football’s soul. This must be overcome. The next stage must be a coordinated, common response across the football fan spectrum. Protest movements against club owners are as widespread as the MUST campaign at Manchester to Austria Salzburg fans who refused to accept the Red Bull energy drink takeover of their club. We are at a crucial juncture where football fans recognise the true destructiveness of the capitalist infiltration on their sport and it is imperative that these fans do not remain disparate. This is no easy task. The strongest movements in England today are ironically within Manchester United and Liverpool traditional fan bases. But revolutionary social movements throughout history have been successful when rivaling factions stand united against a common enemy. This has been a truism from the French to the Sandinista revolution, and the ‘Anti-War Coalition’ and ‘Unite Against Fascism’ in Britain today.
Individual protest can only take the movement so far. Football stands on the edge of the abyss and demands a formulated and common reaction. It is time, at least temporarily, for squabbling fans to unite and realize that the game that has bred such beauty and social unity is now crying out for its own salvation.
Written by Jonny Benett
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Loving the passion, Jonson!!
Vialli and Marcotti wrote about football in England (in ‘The Italian Job’) being very different from the rest of Europe with regards to socio-economic influences i.e. why is it so pronounced in England that football is coupled with ‘working class’? You’d be interested by what Ferguson, Lippi and Mourinho say – though it’s less politically charged than what you’ve got here!!
I disagree in a big way when you marginalise the upper echelons of franchise football club personnel as the sole instigators of everything you say has disillusioned the modern football fan. As a collective, we’re culpable. There are cultural differences of mentality, across the world, where football is concerned compared to other sports; the other day when Messi got injured you could see a lot of fans taunting him while he was being stretchered off. I mean, that’s just ridiculous. There’s a lack of class in the sport – what’s the reason? Education alone? I don’t think so. Tough to answer. This ties in to what the public want; footballers get paid so much because there’s a vast market of people wanting to be entertained by them.
so much truth here. even at arsenal all you hear is moans and groans. the way i see it is that there are two kinds of football fans these days. home fans and away fans. that is all
I haven’t checked in here for a long time for the reason that I believed it was getting boring, however the last several blogposts are wonderful high-quality so I think I’ll add you back to my day-to-day bloglist. You are worthy of it my friend :-]