Hypocritical Barcelona?

The biggest club in the world. The good guys. More than a football club. A family. Every football club should be run like Barcelona. This is what I can summarise from the conversations I have had with people who love the club. (Which you have to if you like football. It is like some kind of norm.) The club that stands for more than just the football they display on the pitch. Which is amazing. Outstanding.

Picture from Flickr by dersportmanager

If you “badmouth” Barcelona you won’t get away with it. No one wants to hear a bad word about the club. It is the side that shows you how football shall be both on and off the pitch. How the fans run the club, and how the people of Barcelona is a part of a club.

The management lead by Johan Laporta underlined what he meant by the slogan «Més que un club» (More than a club) in 2006, it tells me on Wikipedia. They then signed a unique deal with UNICEF and before this they did not have any kit-sponsors. The deal was to give away a certain amount of the turnover to the organisation.

Until this season they played with the UNICEF-logo on their shirts and changed it to the back of it after getting a massive deal with Qatar Foundation. All of a sudden it all changed. Barcelona had a kit-sponsor.

Ferran Soriano, who was vice-president of FC Barcelona, wrote a book that is called Goal. This book shows us how the management of world football is really working.

Picture from Flickr by Julien Haler

“Analyzing Manchester United made it possible for us to see that had built a complex, professional marketing structure from which they had garnered extremely high profits,” Ferran Soriano writes.

Sporting Intelligence reveals that ‘in 2002-03, Barcelona’s income was less than half of Manchester United’s. That made Barcelona only the 13th highest earning club in Europe.’

This changed radically when they changed their ways of management. Barcelona changed their ways and copied Manchester United’s business methods to be one of the most beloved clubs in the world. The Football Economy writes ‘that their global strategy did not work as well as it did at United.’

Soriano details in his book, pulled out by Sporting Intelligence that ‘Barcelona rejected a €20m-a-year shirt deal with gambling company Bwin, which went on to sponsor Real Madrid instead, because an “analysis of FC Barcelona’s desired [market] positioning” concluded that working with UNICEF instead would yield better mid- to long-term financial rewards.’

The UNICEF deal is fair to say have had an influence of how the club has become what it is today. The “risky” business of appointing such a deal makes the club either bankrupt, as they were in huge debts (and still are at this  date), or it would brand the club all around the world.

As they were the 13^th highest earning club in 2003 and now in 2011 they are the second on the list, it shows you the growth of the club in this period. They have won trophies after Soriano took over in 2003 and have won the Champions League three times since then.

I am not writing this to say that Barcelona are any worse than their opponents around the world, I’m just trying to point to the fact that they are not something special when it comes to the business around promoting a football club, and how it is run for a whole.

The youth academy that has players from a very young age, even from South America (which not many clubs are able to do), is still probably the greatest in the world. They are able to drill their kind of football in the youth players in a very young age.

But you need to have promoted your team to be able to do stuff like that, and get recognition for it. And as Soriano writes, “It is fair to think that the UNICEF / Barcelona brand synergy was one of the key factors in the spectacular growth of the fan base and the club’s earnings during 2006 to 2010.”

What is right and what is wrong? The fact that Manchester United was known as the best football club in the world, was truly just because English football was the only football that would reach the largest amount of countries on the planet earth. And when they were the best club in the league, they automatically became the biggest club in the world.

So United has done it, Real Madrid has done it, Barcelona copied it. And this is the story of modern football. To become the greatest you must take the club to the world. Because the world does not just come your way without you telling them you are around.

Is the only reason why Barcelona would sign the UNICEF deal is to promote their club? A certainty is, that there is no better promotion than helping world hunger and poverty. But are they more than a club? Or just like everyone else?

The Influence of European Football

While the big teams aiming for Champions League spots are slaughtering the Europa League it actually means something to others. What about those who care and achieve from it?

With teams like Manchester United and Manchester City both failing to reach the knockout-stages in the Champions League this year, they got “relegated” to play in the Europa League. This puts more spotlight on the Europa League, at least in England this year.

I am not going to put a lot of effort and time into explaining to you how the bigger teams wants to avoid playing in the second division of European tournaments. You have got so many examples. Aston Villa, Tottenham, United… etc.

What I find interesting is how these teams, even they want to win it or not, are affecting the European football. I watched Odense to win a draw against Fulham last night, and to be fair they were lucky. But the fact that Odense had nothing to play for shows that it meant something to them. They drew 2-2 against Fulham because of sloppy defending in the dying minutes. But who cares. They beat a top 7- side from England. That’s all that matters. That’s all that will be remembered in the future. The scoreboard showed you two goals against two. You could see how much it meant to them, and the fans coming all the way from Denmark, when they put the equaliser in the back of the net. The dream the small club Odense has is to play these kinds of matches. To play against the famous clubs from England, Italy, Spain, Germany, etc.

Picture from Flickr by Giåm

And what about the money it brings to the lesser clubs in the league. Shamrock Rovers hosting Tottenham this year. Stadium will be packed. Atmosphere will be all well and good. They know they won’t beat them, but they are hosting Tottenham in Dublin.

Birmingham is now playing in the Championship, but they qualified for the tournament through winning the League Cup in England last year. Even though people might think that this says it all about the tournament, and the quality will never be any good if teams like that are in the competition. I think that is wrong. They fully deserved their spot in the tournament with winning a trophy, beating Arsenal in the final.

Tonight this team might win a place in the last-32. Firstly they will have to beat Maribor at home, probably with a sold out- stand behind them. And then if they are lucky, Braga will win over Club Brugge in the other fixture in their group. There is a hope there. If they qualify, they might play teams like Porto, Schalke, Lazio or maybe Premier League leaders Manchester City. It is an opportunity for Birmingham to play for a full house at home, and for their fans to go on trips all across Europe to see their heroes perform on a platform that are bringing back good memories from the history. The first English club to participate in a European tournament in the 50s are now back to play on foreign grounds.

With Manchester United calling the European competition for a punishment, it is a different story in Birmingham. Chris Hughton went out and said that the profile of the club has been raised since playing in Europe.

picture from Flickr by Giåm

“Every single one of these players wants to play in Europe. There’s possibly another game on the horizon that would lift everyone. Do we want to go through? Yes. It’s been enjoyable to pit our wits against the best in Europe.” – Chris Hughton (from guardian.co.uk)

They are not playing against the best in Europe of course, but they might feel they are. And this is the charming character Europe has for teams like Odense, Shamrock Rovers and Birmingham.

5400 people went to see Birmingham play Club Brugge away in Belgium. The influence of European football is huge. And the experience the lesser teams get from it is irreplaceable. So when teams like Manchester United do not care about the cup, it brings even a bigger hope in the changing rooms of Salzburg or Steaua to actually be able to achieve something if they come up against them. Could they beat Man Utd at Old Trafford?

They could make internal history. It is not the line-up that makes history, it is the score. And history is football.

Abu Dhabi Doesn’t Help English Football

Manchester City is 90 minutes from ending their painful era with no trophies for 35 years. The new era has more or less started. Manchester City boosted their title hopes with a dramatic, but very fair result in the semi final of the FA Cup, with their victory over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium. There has been times where Man City has been looking like a team going nowhere, but with the FA Cup final spot in their hands they can show the world that there is not more to the game than a few “dineros”.

David Clayton commented the match on Manchester City’s official website and alleged the following.

“Can’t believe the majority of the country doesn’t want ut to win this.” – David Clayton.

Where he gets this suggestion from I wouldn’t know, but I could have given him a couple of arguments. The modern football today are soon to be reveiled and I would tip Man City to have an enormous success the coming years if they win the FA Cup now, and qualify for the Champions League by finishing on the 4th place in the Premier League.

It has been a couple of years now since the Abu Dhabi United Group completed their takover of the football club Manchester City. With an unprecented spending they have brought in a couple of the biggest names in the world of football. This was something you had seen Chelsea do a couple of years ahead of them, but not on the same level as this ownership started off.

Picture from Flickr by TBSteve

No sign of continousity anywhere, only a few owners who wanted to see results after day one. In 2008/09 they spent over £122 million on players. In 2009/10 they spent £118 million, and this season they have spent over £100 million with one thing on their mind. Trophies. With all due of respect they have signed a couple of world class players in Yaya Toure, who sendt Man City to the final on Saturday, Patrick Vieira(picture), and  Carlos Tevez. These are footballers who knows how to win trophies. That is one step ahead for the football club Manchester City. It is a tough task to win the FA Cup, one slip and you are out of it. And that is what Manchester United was proved on Saturday. In a very intense football game, a couple of personal faults lost them the game. They practically handed Man City the final. Not to say it was not deserved, it was something you was not sure you wanted to see.

Money can’t buy you love as Paul McCartney said it suist Manchester City in the story they are about to write now. There is two tasks ahead of the Sky Blues now. Get the spot to play in Europe, and go on and win the FA Cup. They have a tough task in front of them in Stoke who trashed Bolton 5-0 in the other semi-final.

Manchester City will tempt a lot more world class footballers to come to the club if they are competing at the top level of football. And it will be an expencive transfer market yet again for the Abu Dhabi United Group as they would want to make their squad even more complete. Even if Manchester City will go on and become one of the best forces in Europe I would not suggest that they will be more loved around England. They pick up the best players from the second best teams and makes the Premier League worse. Just because they can. Just because they have the money to do it. And as we have witnessed the recent years. Loyalty is about to fade away and die in the modern football. It is all about the power of the “dineros”.

I would give an awful lot for Stoke to win the FA Cup and prove that passion is what gets you furthest. Because Abu Dhabi and Manchester City is not giving English football bugger all.

The Brand, The Value, The Football Club; Manchester United

Manchester United. That is the name of the biggest football club in England. There is no doubt. Manchester United sells. Most of all they sell stories. Every one wants a piece of Manchester United. If they can get it, they will take all the crumbles they might get their hands on.

From Flickr by mike.thompson75

They were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool on Anfield on Sunday and you might say there was only one team on the pitch. Liverpool were outstanding and played Manchester United out of the field and on to the train back to Manchester. It was a lesson taught. But when you wake up the day after and the stories that sells are as much about Manchester United you know there is a market value of this football team that is incredible. They just reached 10 million fans on facebook, and are just growing all around the world alongside their success on the pitch. There is always a Manchester United supporter near by. As they sing in the chant against Man Utd, “You only live around the corner”.

Everyone wants a piece. And Sir Alex Ferguson’s media black out wasn’t what the journalists wanted. It has been coming for a long time. He has already refused to talk to BBC for a long time, after they wrote a story about his son. But now he is shutting the door for everyone, even Man Utd’s own TV channel MUTV. He has already appealed against a punishment from the Football Association last week after a rant at the referee after they had lost 2-1 against Chelsea on Tuesday last week, and he seems to have turned his back on everything called media. I would never say that anything that Sir Alex does is wrong, but I want to put it out there that it seems as the biggest manager in football has become a little bit childish in the circumstances. A bad loser? Of course everyone knows that he is a bad loser, and I do not think he would be where he is today if he wasn’t.

The thing that astounds me is that people are focusing on Manchester United. The paper writes about Man Utd’s boycott of the press. They write about how a team that were undefeated until 5 matches ago now is tearing apart (?). If Blackpool felt they were treated badly and weren’t talking to any TV channel after their 3-1 defeat against Chelsea today people would not have given it as much thought. Luis Suarez played Rafael, Smalling and Brown of their feet before he sent Kuyt on for a hat trick. But it is faded. Kuyt scoring his first hat trick in Liverpool since he arrived at Anfield gets as many comments as the bad losers of Manchester does. There is nothing offensive about being called a bad loser when you have been winning everything for almost two decades. It’s just facts. And the brilliant performance of a Liverpool team who is on a winning streak and seems to have hit form under their new manager Kenny Dalglish gets a bitter taste to it when the medias spotlight equals out to the opposition.

The football team that proved no one deserves to win the Premier League? I’m just putting it out there after I read an article about it. That is for me absolutely wrong. The team that finish top of the league in the tightest league table ever(?) most definitely deserves it if you ask me.

The brand Manchester United is so much bigger than any other Premier League club that even when they do not speak to the press; there are loads of stories to put to their name. Sir Alex Ferguson’s era will eventually be over, but Manchester United will continue to grow, and the stories will follow them. The brand that sells will develop and new angles will be made. When they bring in a new manager at Old Trafford it will be written week in and week out if he is the right man for the job. The transfer market, the policy of Manchester United, there will always be a story that sells.

In a bit…