Behind Enemy Lines European football falling into foreign hands

Author: Andrey Tolstoy

When I started watching football in the late 90s, Chelsea was a decent team in a pretty good national league. The kings of Europe then were Real Madrid, taking charge after the decline of AC Milan. If you asked me and my friends what our favorite teams were, we would list three or four - one in Spain, one in Italy, one in England, and one in our home country.

A lot of eyebrows went up when Real went on a wild shopping spree, within a couple seasons acquiring Anelka, Ronaldo, Zidane and David Beckham to supplement their already star-studded line-up. Later, Chelsea's success was derided by critics as being solely the result of billionaire owner Roman Abramovich's profligacy. This has turned into the norm in top-flight football, with spending up 60 percent from last season in the English Premier League, and the critics aren't much happier.

UEFA President Michel Platini recently lashed out at the purchase of Manchester City by the Qatar-led Abu Dhabi United Group. "If you bring people from Qatar and there is no-one from Manchester at the club, where is Manchester?" he asked. "I think the Qataris should invest in Qatar." His problem is not just with misdirected investment: "You have to have identity; that is where football's popularity lies."

It may seem strange to invoke questions of identity when club football has historically been very cosmopolitan. Yet in their selection, clubs have exhibited particular consistencies that allow fans to connect with them on a secondary level. Arsenal, for example, was famous for its Dutch-French hybrid; Manchester United fielded more British stars; and Barcelona recruited extensively in independentist Catalonia.

Today, these trends are more difficult to detect, since billionaire owners have shifted the focus towards buying international stars, sometimes to the detriment of both club and player. One notable example is the purchase of Andrei Shevchenko, who went from hero to pariah after his transfer from AC Milan to Chelsea. The English league did not suit his style, but having spent $56 million on him, Roman Abramovich demanded extra playing time for the Ukrainian.

The deeper impact of this lavishness has been a declined interest in national leagues outside Europe. Abdu Maikaba, coach of FC Abuja, in Nigeria's first division, recently complained: "Whenever we play at the same time as an Arsenal game, nobody shows up." Of course, a gulf is to be expected between the two leagues, but not to the point of threatening the existence of a national football federation. And it doesn't stop at the professional level either, as European youth programs become affected by the clubs' voracity. Platini points out: "One player aged 11 is coming from Marseille to Chelsea. For the mother you think that is good?"

There seems to be a lack of foresight in the system, because sooner or later supply lines will run thin. National leagues need to be competitive, sustained by well-funded youth programs and strong representation by domestic players. Roman Abramovich lost some $10 billion in the financial crisis, and Chelsea has already announced that it will manage its own budget for the next two seasons. Manchester United jerseys are branded with the AIG logo, so there goes that. I doubt these teams will continue to compete on the same level if they are outspent by the Qataris, which seems inevitable.

There are several ironies to take away here. First, the teams that raised the bar for transfer spending are going to be hit the hardest when they tumble down the league table. Second, selling expensive players to cut budget deficits will yield a net loss, because sellers will have less leverage to back up their demands. Third, the Qataris, Egyptians and Americans are investing in their former colonizer's football league, while their domestic leagues are floundering in obscurity. And finally, a word of caution to the Brits: when was the last time the English national team did anything notable?

I'm so glad to have no personal investment in any of this.