For many, money in football is a force of good which has revolutionised the game for the better, bringing with it a globalised sport which connects the people together but for others who ethics may stand firm against money they believe football has ‘sold its soul.’ No on can deny the power and influence that money has in football, with Rupert Murdoch’s Sky TV, changing the face of the game from a “working class” game to a billion pound business.
On the surface of football everything looks to be incredibly successful; the Premier League is labelled “the greatest league in the world” and billions are entertained by it, but beneath the surface, there is conflict and unrest. When the Premier League started back in 1992, no one could have truly predicted the impact it coupled with the millions of Sky Sports,would have on not only the English football but the global game as well. But has football ”sold its soul” to money?
Football is more than a game, it’s now a brand and the most globalised and popularised sport in the world, which is watched and loved by billions, it’s business which makes billions. Rupert Murdock’s Sky TV took advantage of this “golden opportunity” and invested millions. The money-mad mandarins of Murdock’s Sky Sports TV, who currently run the game will continue to seek ways to globalise, commercialise and sanitise it, destroying the games soul and roots. Soon or later the “money bubble” of football will burst surely?
Football stepped into an era of spending giants, the commercialisation of the Premier League saw it secure around £3.5bn from its most recent round of television deals, which run until the end of next season. About £2.1bn was generated from domestic rights sales, including about £1.8bn for live rights from BSkyB and ESPN, and £1.4bn from overseas broadcasters. Premier League’s contract is the second biggest TV deal in the world, bettered only by that of the NFL in America, which really shows the true power of football.
Worrying concern is the fact the fans are no longer even a consideration, never mind a priority, when it comes to how the game is run, the TV deal with Sky Sports comes first. The money and power of television is controlling the game.
The longest serving and successful manager in the Premier League; Sir Alex Ferguson, who seen how football has changed in the last 20 years of his management career states; “When you shake hands with the devil you have to pay the price. Television is God at the moment. It shows itself quite clearly because when you see the fixture lists come out now, they can pick and choose whenever they want the top teams on television,”
The fact money continues to be pumped into the Premier League, opens the gap from the Football League further, with tens of millions of pounds now separating the clubs in the top flight and those in the Championship. There’s a strong argument that the TV money and sponsorship money has morally corrupted the game. Money that has been put into football mainly by SKY TV can only really benefit the top clubs in English football, leaving the rest struggling to survive, is that a fair competition?
The injection of money in the game, is the step into the unknown creating a sense of danger and uncertainty. The recent match fixing allegations are a real “wake up call” leaving football in the dark and exposing how corrupt, fickle and weak our game is across Europe, with more than 700 suspect football fixtures under investigation. Money power in the game is illustrated with match fixing.
Europol calculated that more than £6.8m in betting profits had been corruptly made, with in excess of £1m in “corrupt payments” made to football people. FIFA governing board are investigating allegations and called for longer prison sentences for criminals involved in match-fixing after the EU intelligence-sharing agency Europol exposed a rift of suspicious games under investigation for match fixing in Europe.
Football needs to be wary of the dangers of match fixing just look what happened to cricket. Match-fixing is the biggest curse in any sport and in most respects is worse even than drug-taking. The force behind match fixing is the power and corruption of money.
Rob Wainwright, the director of Europol, said while the “focus” of the investigation is not on England: “Given the scale of corruption involved, it would be naive and complacent to think that the criminal conspiracy does not affect the English game. All those responsible for running football should heed the warnings. This is a sad day for European football and more evidence of the corrupting influence in society of organised crime,”
This is the way “modern football” is heading with the focus now on the emergence of the billionaire owners and private investors, which allowed clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City to spend an unlimited amount of money of the best players and without that win trophies. People say money can’t buy you success but money gave Chelsea and Manchester City the wealth to buy the best players to win trophies.