Final+Research+Paper

La corrupción del fútbol

Miguel Cortes

Acknowledgements I would like to truly thank the following people from the bottom of my heart - I would like to thank Mr. Martin for being there to answer any of my questions and also for putting up with me. - I would like to thank Dr. Valenza for the presentations she gave us, also for showing us all the resources would could use and overall for her willingness to assistant anyone who needed help - I would like to thank Mrs. Kulikowski for being my mentor, and also for putting up with me - I would like to thank Michael Porrini for reminding me when due dates are - I would like to thank Lekan King for helping me do my research, and finding sources Thank you all for being there and helping me I truly appreciate it

Soccer is a beautiful game played throughout the world (it brings people from around the world together), but like every sport it isn’t without its flaws. The professional sport of soccer has become corrupted due to the current practices of trading players, high athlete salaries, and unequal club wealth. Soccer has changed in many ways; money has become of high importance, players are being paid outrageous amounts of money, and this has given wealthier club teams the upper hand over less wealthy teams. Soccer wasn’t always about money, before it was about the love of the sport. Back in the good old days soccer was played professional for not much at all ( very little in fact that some worked another job). But as the years passed by and the interest in soccer grew around the world so did the salaries. In the times of the great Pele he was transferred to the New York Cosmos of NASL (North American Soccer League) for an unheard of $4.5 million. At that time this was unheard of, but now as you know times have changed and players are being paid more and more every year. Here’s an example of how much the cost for players increased, in 2000 Luis Figo of Portugal was traded to Real Madrid for $52 million; he was being paid about 10X’s as much as Pele. Another example of this is in 2003 when Real Madrid bought David Beckham for $40 million and this was just the tip of the iceberg. In more recent years the cost for players has become a lot more expensive. As a matter of fact just recently Cristiano Ronaldo was purchased by Real Madrid for an astonishing $130 million, and not just Cristiano but also Kaka for $95 million amounting to a grand total of $220 million; just for two players. These are just the transfer fees alone, including endorsements athletes are making more than this; a lot more. So much so that Pele urged FIFA to make a rule to help control the amount of money being spent on players, because this gives wealthier teams a great advantage (such a Real Madrid). Every team has a star, but is it fair for a team to buy another team’s star player? Obviously not, but this has become a problem in the world of soccer; bigger wealthier clubs teams are buying star players from teams that don’t make as much money. This gives bigger club teams an automatic advantage, because they can go to weaker club teams in need of money and buy their players and of course the club teams needing money are willing to sell their players. Also players are willing to leave their teams for bigger ones because they will without a doubt make more money and also because they are advised by third parties to do so. This too has become another reason why soccer has become corrupt, teams are now more than ever reliant on third parties to help them trade their players to bigger clubs. Of course these transactions help weaker teams stay afloat because they make money of their players, but if a weaker team were to win a trophy lets just say the Champions league with their star player they would instantly gain fame and along with that endorsements. But most teams are stripped of these kinds of opportunities, stripped of their star players by bigger club teams. Back to the third parties, they often have a big say in the club teams; FIFA for a long time now has been trying to eliminate them but like I have previously stated weaker teams rely on them for their survival. They invest millions of dollars in players in hopes of making big profits off of them. And yet again it is because bigger wealthier club teams strip weaker less wealthy club teams of their players and indirectly their opportunities to grow. Footballers in today’s times are being paid more than a sufficient amount of money just to play. As I have stated before in older times some players would play professional and yet still work a job but times have changed. The players of today’s time don’t have to worry about working another job; they hardly have to worry about anything (expect playing of course). I think that club teams should pay players less because this is making it unfair for smaller club teams to complete with the bigger teams, and I also believe that this should be done because most players now are endorse by companies/brand names such as Nike, Addidas, and Puma. This would even out the field for the smaller teams because then they wouldn’t have to compete as much to keep their star players, and also this way it would give an otherwise losing team a chance to flourish and become a soccer powerhouse. Soccer has been affected deeply by money but I think this problem can be resolved easily. I think that weak club teams should be given the opportunity to flourish and that rules should be put into place so that wealthier teams cant just buy out their less wealthy club teams. For example Real Madrid should be limited to a certain amount of money a year to spend, that way this gives other teams a more fair chance to win trophies and acquire fame and success. This would also keep wealthier club teams from over spending and ultimately going bankrupt. This is another side of how soccer has become corrupted because of the over spending of club teams on players. Teams are now over spending and getting into debt, they resolve their debt issues by selling jersey’s and tickets but what is to happen if a team failed to sell tickets and merchandise? They would go into bankruptcy and eventually fold, and this would create more bigger problems for the world of soccer. So FIFA should most defiantly intervene and put some rules into place to help soccer become the sport it once was, a sport where it wasn’t about money but rather about the passion for the sport. FIFA has already made strides to help fix this problem such as making it a rule that a player under 18 cannot transfer and that a player could not transfer or terminate their contract if a coach disagreed. But unfortunately FIFA failed to approve this rule. Also as for the third parties instead of investing huge amounts in players they should spend it on club teams, because they will make more money. If a player is transferred and becomes profitable they will make only a portion of what they could be making if they invested in a team. A team could easily make them more money than just one player; again lets say a team is to win the Champions league they would quickly and surely gain recognition and fame. This would trigger endorsements and money flow towards this certain club team. Ultimately this would be more profitable for an investor because of the endorsements they would receive and also from the sales of merchandise and tickets. I think FIFA should allow these 3rd parties to stay for the mean time because they are keeping clubs teams alive and they seem to help out players and teams. But I do think that FIFA should make them invest in teams rather than players; because by doing so it will help the weaker less wealthy teams in the long run. So you see soccer has lost its fundamental values, and has become a sport where money is more important than the love for the sport itself. Clubs teams such as Real Madrid are spending too much money, they are given an automatic advantage over the smaller teams who just manage to stay afloat and they put themselves at risk by making these lavish purchases. They risk bankruptcy while at the same time corrupting the game and taking away from the smaller teams that could use the players rather than the money. Also players are being paid too much, although some are great and may or may not deserve the high salaries it makes it too hard for the smaller clubs teams to afford these players so they eventually have to sell them or transfer them along with their chances to win trophies. FIFA should pass a rule to limit big wealthy teams so that it would make things a lot simpler and easier. Third parties play a big roll in players quest for money and fame but often don’t in a club team, they should invest in the clubs rather than the actual players themselves. So although soccer has changed there is still hope for the future, and maybe some day it will be like in the good old days where soccer as a professional sport was about the love and passion for the game than about the money.