Like yourselves, I’ve been reading the football gossip columns, listening to the numerous World Cup podcasts and talking with mates over a beer or three…. but it struck me the other day - are us ‘marketers’ partly to blame for England’s pathetic performance during the World Cup? Now your probably thinking this guy has lost the plot, what the f**k is he on!
Now, answer yourself this question - was the Football Association’s decision to keep Mr ‘stubborn’ Fabio Capello on as Manager ‘financial’ or ‘football’ based? I firmly believe that it was financial. It would have been a massive PR faux pas sacking him having removed break clauses in his contract before the tournament - in fact it would cost as much as £12million to get rid of Mr Fabio now according to paper talk . Well done Sir David Richards!
We marketers in the UK are fantastic at creating a marketing power tool and this has clearly been shown with the English Premier League. Since its launch in 1991 we have helped to create this financial power house that is arguably unbreakable (at the moment) and powerful in its resources and attraction. The league is the most supported in the world. Many pundits and journalist say the ‘best league in the world’. I would personally say the best league in the world for excitement but not football. In my opinion the Spanish league has overtaken the English league in the last year. But this is simply a matter of opinion.
Money talks! Yaya Toure has just completed his move to Manchester City and is reportedly earning £221,000 p/week across 5 years which equates to £55.6 million. Quite staggering considering he barely got into the Barcelona team line-ups last season. Yet he still expresses his desire to return to Barcelona one day. Players move here for the money; certainly not the English weather! However, who can argue with Yaya. If someone waved those sorts of money in my face, I'd happily run round naked in front of millions of people just to get my hands on it.
The forthcoming A:3k football tournament at London’s 02 Arena has just been cancelled with Rooney and Gerrard both citing that they didn’t believe it was right following their abject performances at the World Cup. They are human after all! At £500k each for 2 hours work - A:3k Football have certainly got a ‘get out of jail’ free card here. We marketers throw far too much money at these footballers. Too many ego's and individuals! Do they believe they are untouchable?? The last month has clearly shown that:
- these footballers are not the world beaters we have hyped about in the press &
- there needs to be changes made, financially and structurally, from the Football Association and the Marketing industry that throws money at these high profile celebrity footballers as it simply goes to their heads.
Having said that - who can blame them. If I were in their situation, I’d be doing the exact same thing!
It’s certainly a very contentious subject and one we will never get the answer to, but at the sametime, I believe it’s a valid reason…
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