Who were MLS’ Most Valuable Teams in 2019 and Why?

American football is the definition of sports in the USA, baseball is the national pastime and basketball lands itself a place as the nation’s third most popular professional sport. Now, this absolutely leaves our dear old soccer in a difficult position when it comes to finding its place in the American psyche. However, soccer is not the world’s number one for nothing, the legendary sport is slowly creeping into the hearts of the American audience and it just might have finally found its place in the world’s largest economy.

President and CEO of AEG Dan Beckerman looks on as team President of the Los Angeles Galaxy Chris Klein hands Zlatan Ibrahimovic #9 his jersey during a press conference at StubHub Center on March 30, 2018 in Carson, California.

(March 29, 2018 - Source: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images North America)

History of soccer in America

The world’s game graced American soils from as early as the late 1800s. However, the first professional league of note was formed in 1921 and was referred to as the American Soccer League (ASL). The league thrived for about a decade, attracting European talent and scooping third place at the 1930 World Cup. However, as of 1931, in-house fights between the league and its member teams led to the ASL’s collapse and soccer in America fell off the map for 4 decades.

The USA did manage to gain a memorable victory over England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. However, soccer was still less prominent compared to the days of the ASL until the 1960s when the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) was formed (1967 to be exact). Sadly, the NPSL only managed to last one season.

When NPSL went up in flames, its ashes gave birth to North American Soccer League (NASL). The NASL managed to change the way people viewed soccer in the USA especially when the great Pele` joined New York Cosmos after his retirement. When the Cosmos signed Pele` who is arguably the greatest player in the history of the game, soccer was catapulted into the mainstream in the USA. Every fan wanted to touch Pele` and shake his hand and Cosmos drew large crowds to stadiums to watch their games. However, Pele` retired from the NASL in 1977 and took the league down with him, fans started to lose interest in the league and by 1984 the NASL had hit the ground.

It took 10 years to get soccer back to the scene in the USA. FIFA decided to host the 1994 World Cup in the USA and interest in the sport was awaken but most Americans were still a bit skeptical. However, efforts to convince Americans too fully like soccer continued to be made and this led to the formation of the famous Major League Soccer, simply known as MLS. Unlike the previous leagues, MLS has endured and managed to change the way soccer is viewed in the USA. MLS has led to a couple of national successes.

In 1999, the USA managed to win the Women’s World Cup and in 2002 the men’s team progressed to the quarter-finals in Brazil. Apart from those two, in 2010 the USA team made it through to the knockout stages when Landon Donovan scored a goal in the group match against Algeria. Finally, with MLS in the picture, the FIFA World Cup began to make sense to Americans. MLS has continued to make soccer a big part of the social and economic circles of America as a whole and the various teams that are part of the league have contributed to its success.

MLS’s most valuable teams 2019

Ranking MLS’s most valuable teams for 2019 can be summarized into a list of the top 9 according to revenue generated and value in dollars as below:

RANK TEAM VALUE($M) REVENUE($M)

1 Atlanta United 500 78

2 LA Galaxy 480 64

3 LA FC 475 75

4 Seattle Sounders 405 47

5 Toronto FC 395 43

6 Portland Timbers 390 47

7 New York City FC 385 45

8 Chicago Fire 335 23

9 DC United 330 41

Carlos Vela #10 of the Los Angeles Football Club dribbles down the field during action against the Portland Timbers at Banc of California Stadium on July 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

(July 14, 2018 - Source: Katharine Lotze/Getty Images North America)

Atlanta United

Atlanta United found itself in pole position for the second time in a row. The team was worth $500 million at the end of 2019. They also generated $78 million worth of revenue. Apart from financial value, Atlanta United has notable on-field success which include winning the 2018 MLS Cup and making the playoffs in each of its three MLS seasons. This on-field success has increased the team’s fan base and their average home-game attendance of 52,000 fans per game ranks among the top soccer teams in the world. Atlanta United is also a leader in attracting cash flow from Europe’s top leagues, the most notable example being the sale of star midfielder Miguel Almiron to Premier League’s Newcastle United for $27 million, a transfer fee that no other team has ever received before.

LA Galaxy

The team fell second to Atlanta with a value of $480 million. Galaxy has been MLS’s model of success since the league’s genesis in 1994, generating $5.5 million from local media rights. It’s the famous MLS team that never ranks outside the top 6 in average home game attendance. Among all the MLS teams, Galaxy has been the most preferred landing for international stars from the likes of David Beckham to Zlatan Ibrahimović.

LAFC

Galaxy’s rivals have completed only 2 seasons but already finds itself in Forbes’ top 3 and is valued at $475 million. LAFC is reportedly worth annual payments of $6.7 million of naming rights and $6 million of jersey sponsorship. The team has sold out every one of its home games despite having the highest ticket prices in MLS history and ranks eighth in home-game attendance. Both LAFC and Galaxy drew an audience of nearly 900,000 viewers when they faced off in the 2019 semi-final playoffs.

“A good example of that investment is the purchase of Chicago Fire by billionaire Joe Mansueto. In September, the Morningstar Founder Joe Mansueto acquired 100 % ownership of Chicago Fire at $400 million valuation, a huge amount that is worth a value of more than 4 NHL  teams.”

— Lovejoy Tabeth Munamati, FirstTouch Africa

Stefan Frei #24 of Seattle Sounders FC 2 grabs the ball in front of Josef Martinez #7 of Atlanta United and Jordy Delem #21 of Seattle Sounders FC 2 during the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 15, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.

(July 14, 2018 - Source: Michael Chang/Getty Images North America)

Seattle Sounders

The league’s fourth most valuable team and the current MLS Cup champions are worth $405 million and comes second after Atlanta United in average home game attendance.

Chicago Fire

Forbes values the team at $335 million ranking it at number 8 in the list of MLS’s most valuable teams. The team has struggled to find its footing in terms of relevance and financial status for a long time, constantly being ranked in the bottom 5 in home game attendance since 2013. However, investors are looking for a possible bright future for MLS teams and USA soccer as a whole by investing large sums of money. A good example of that investment is the purchase of Chicago Fire by billionaire Joe Mansueto. In September, the Morningstar Founder Joe Mansueto acquired 100 % ownership of Chicago Fire at $400 million valuation, a huge amount that is worth a value of more than 4 NHL  teams.

The average MLS team is now worth $313 million, which is up to 30% from last year’s value. The year over year growth in MLS teams far outpaces the rising team values in NBA (13 %), the NFL (11%), MLB (8%) and the NHL (6%). MLS’ average attendance of 21,358 from 2013-2018 has been ranked number 8 in the world. In addition, Atlanta United, the MLS team which only joined MLS in 2017 has the tenth best average attendance of 51,547.

How soccer growth in the USA is impacting business decisions

Professional soccer at all levels is thriving in the USA with increased average attendance and media coverage and this is, in turn, attracting many markets to support MLS. Many businessmen are turning to MLS as a lucrative goldmine and are pouring in investments into the league. Most MLS teams are running at a loss but investors continue to pour in because they believe the future of USA soccer is getting brighter by the day.

“Expansion during the last 15 years has been enormously successful and the key driver behind the league’s continued rise, and we are pleased that some of the top business and community leaders representing great markets in North America are aggressively pursuing MLS expansion clubs,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber.

The question on people’s minds could be “is soccer powerful enough to create employment opportunities and restore the economy in the presence of NBA, NFL, and MLB? “

(L to R) DC United Managing Partner and CEO Jason Levien, Wayne Rooney #9 of DC United, and DC United General Manager Dave Kasper pose with a jersey during his introduction press conference at The Newseum on July 2, 2018 in Washington, DC.

(July 1, 2018 - Source: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America)

The answer to the above question is that it is indeed possible for soccer to be part of the driving force for a successful economy in the USA if serious reforms and investments are pushed towards the sport. This will guarantee the future growth of soccer in the USA to come close to the European level.

Huge investments are already being pulled into the Major League soccer for expansion teams. Joe Mansueeto’s purchase of Chicago Fire is a good example of a major investment by notable businessmen and billionaires. Regardless of the MLS team ranking eighth in the list of MLS’s most valuable teams, Mansueto purchased the team at a $400 million valuation. In July 2019, NBA star James Harden invested $15 million for a small stake in the Houston Dynamo. In August, Microsoft executive Terry Myerson led an ownership group that includes celebrities Ciara, Macklemore and Russell Wilson in buying a stake in Seattle Sounders. Another notable purchase was that of 9% of Orlando Sports Holding by Hedge fund manager Albert Friedberg.

In conclusion MLS and soccer in the USA, in general, is finally finding its place in the social and economic circles of Americans punctuated by increasing numbers of fans and investor. Soccer might just be the new goldmine for businessmen in the USA.

“The Women in Football Leadership Programme” – a much needed breakthrough

Lack of women in leadership positions is one of the major reasons why women’s soccer is less affluent than our male counterparts. In my previous article, I did mention how FIFA could do way more than invest 1 billion into the game,

“Of course we need funding to move forward and to ultimately change the game. However, to help everyone involved, be it an established player or a simple girl with nothing but passion and dreams of brighter days playing somewhere in a village, we will need more than just funds. The longstanding lack of women in positions of responsibility in the football community has led to limited voices to advocate for change”

Well, it seems like FIFA has been one step ahead, dipping their hands right into the core. FIFA together with UEFA and  IMD formed the Women in Football Leadership Programme. The aim of this program being to empower women to take up leadership positions.

Issa Johansen, FIFA and Sierra Leone Football Chief

What the hell is this Women in Football Leadership Programme?

This great initiative by the trio has already inspired some women to assume leadership positions from all over the world.

The 2019 edition of the programme brought together 24 participants in Zurich from 18th to 20th of November 2019. FIFA along with other governing bodies have been continuously working on a common aim. The aim has been to enrich the industry with different and valuable opinions as well as backgrounds and experiences. With the achievement of this aim comes the ability to make the game as inclusive as possible to women as well as embracing diversity in gender, perspective, race, religion, and social status. The most essential goal for the achievement of the prior mentioned aim is, therefore, the representation of women in football leadership.

You all know how men always say “women are complex creatures,” which applies in football as well. No man in power can fully understand the needs of women, only a woman can. Therefore, women play vital roles in the success of organizations where women are involved, especially if the aim is to be diverse and inclusive. The genesis of this program is a win-win situation for both male and female organizations. As much as the program provides a platform for women to grow and improve their decision-making skills, it also allows them to create a balance, allowing maximum sharing of ideas and progress.

The Women in Football Leadership program seeks to use a powerful leadership training week to support the careers of women who have a great influence on the today and tomorrow of football as a game and an industry. The programme allows participants to work on and discuss aspects of leadership for continual career development. At the end of the WFLP, every participant takes home leadership skills, extended networks and strong links with other women in positions of authority as well as the confidence to set and pursue career goals.

The program includes plenary discussions, role-playing, and one-on-one coaching. Teaching and professional skills development, as well as team dynamics, are also part of the package. The training week creates a good training environment, conducive for personal, professional growth and promotion of self-awareness and team spirit in a bid to enhance leadership skills.

Victoria Conteh: First female coach to manage a Sierra Leone top flight club

Credits: Cafonline

When UEFA developed the WLFP, it aimed at women working in all areas of the football landscape not just in women’s soccer. This European governing body sought to identify individuals with leadership potential and help them develop the necessary skills through this initiative. Participants of this program are drawn from all aspects of football associations around the world. Women with various roles like independent board members, directors, performance directors, presidents, and chairwomen show up as participants.

In the 2019 edition of the programme women like Sarai Bareman (FIFA ‘s chief women’s football officer), Michele Uva (UEFA vice-president and deputy chairman of the UEFA Women’s football committee) and Ana Moura (director of the Portuguese Football Association) were present. And of course, the gospel of diversity was well implemented as we saw African football making its mark with notable women like Tsoseletso Magang (a member of the Botswana football association’s executive committee) present.

Leadership and figures before and after WFLP

Before The Women in Football Leadership Program, women lacked proper motivation and guidance to occupy positions of authority. However, in 2014, UEFA launched the programme in response to the rising concern of lack of diversity in the management of the football associations. The figures started to show an increase in the number of women in positions of authority in various associations. However, in 2014 only 5% of mid-level or top management positions were held by women.

A 2016 survey carried out in the seventh annual audit of women’s experiences on the board and in leadership roles within the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sports in England and Wales showed a huge increase in the numbers. The figures showed 30% of board positions being held by women while there was a fall from 42% in 2014 to 36% in 2016 of women in senior leadership roles. These figures falling way below the 50% borderline mark show that very few women occupy positions in national associations and there’s still room for more.

Marta;Ballon d’Or winner and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador

What more should National Governing bodies do?

So with all the programs being set up to ensure an increase in women participation in leadership roles, numbers still fall below stipulated figures. Even with this great initiative by the trio (FIFA, UEFA, and IMD) we still think there is more that can be done to enhance the program and increase our figures. The question is “what can NGBs do to enhance the WFLP and increase the figures?”

The answer to this burning question is one phrase which is also part of WLFP’s aim, “gender diversity” because believe it or not, it cannot be for women and it obviously won’t work for women if there ain’t no women in it.

Megan Rapinoe receives The Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year award by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 at Teatro alla Scala on September 23, 2019 in Milan, Italy.

(Sept. 22, 2019 - Source: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Europe)

This aspect of gender diversity can be broken down into various concepts that explain what needs to be done to increase our numbers. First of all, is the issue of board representation. Boards should no longer wait for positions to be vacant but should try to create a more gender-diverse board. The terms of office of longer standing board members should be brought to an end and proactively recruit, making sure equal numbers of men and women are on the shortlist.

Another notable issue is that of a decrease in the number of women in upper positions, indicating fewer women being promoted than men. Are men better at the job than women? Definitely not, women are simply fighting a system rigged against them with leadership preserved for men. NGBs should thus take steps to readdress the leadership imbalances and increase the number of women at all levels of leadership. Culture is deep-rooted and it cannot be changed overnight yes, but they can at least try, one policy at a time.

For NGBs to effectively enhance their programs, they need to be high performing modern organizations themselves. Attracting and retaining a diverse team including qualified women at all levels will allow proper sustainability of the WFLP.

Another issue is the fact that a business career in sports for women still feels less attractive. Many females see limited opportunities at senior levels as people tend to stay in roles for a long time. Despite the support being shown to women, the sports world is still male-dominated so chances of a lucrative career path become very slim. If you have watched Taraji P Henson’s movie “What Men Want, “you can definitely relate well to this point. Yes, it’s just a movie, but still drives the point home.

Capping it off

In summary what every NGB should do is to examine its constitution to get serious about all aspects of diversity, remove honorary statuses and introduce fixed term limits for board members. Recruitment based on skills required not appointment by popularity or gender should be considered.

Unfortunately, there is just so much a board can do, the rest is up to the women themselves. This brings us to the issue of self-confidence. Working in a male-dominated circle sure is intimidating as hell but believe me, if you are just as confident and passionate as they are, you will shine brighter in that skirt, queen!

Change is a process and we cannot change the system overnight but our consolation is that it is the only thing that is constant. Changing governance structures of an NGB can be difficult and controversial as highlighted by one leader,

“Unfortunately these organizations will not do it unless you tell them to do it…what you are asking people to do is vote themselves off the board…they are not going to do it.”

So there you have it folks, in conclusion, NGBs can create great programs for the inclusion of women and work to enhance them but at the end of the day, they cannot change the whole system overnight. So if you are that passionate about sports, wake up every single day and fight for that change, one policy at a time!

“...it cannot be for women and it obviously won’t work for women if there ain’t no women in it...”

— Lovejoy Tabeth Munamati, FirstTouch Africa

How did Borussia Dortmund become a factory for talent?

Head Coach Jurgen Klopp of Borussia Dortmund goes up to collected his runners-up medal after losing the UEFA Champions League final match against FC Bayern Muenchen at Wembley Stadium on May 25, 2013 in London, United Kingdom.

(May 24, 2013 - Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe)

Brief history

If we focus on merely achievements and numbers, Borussia Dortmund is undoubtedly one of the most famous football clubs in the whole of Europe, and the club has a remarkable reputation of having astounding numbers during their matches.

According to the club’s website, Borussia Dortmund stands for intensity, authenticity, cohesion and ambition. The club has a special place in the hearts of the club’s fans who have remained profoundly loyal in all the good, bad and ugly times for more than a century.

The club was founded in 1909 in the German city of Dortmund in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. In football talk, the club is commonly known with the abbreviation: “BvB”, which ultimately stands for Ballspielverein Borussia or in English "Borussia club for ball games." The full name is BV Borussia 1909 EV Dortmund and is definitely one of Germany’s most decorated clubs that will always be talked about for generations to come.

The club has managed to grab eight national titles, three DFB-Porkals, a Cup Winners’ Cup and an unforgettable Champions League win in 1997. Borussia Dortmund is famous for producing world-class talents like Marco Reus, Ousmane Dembele and Christian Pulisic.

In 2003, the club fell into a financial predicament in the aftermath of excessive spending om expensive players in the transfer market. The club received financial support from arch-rivals Bayern Munich which gave them $2 million euros for paying players’ salaries. However, within a year, the club managed to repay the loan. Having gone through several challenges off and on pitch, supporters started to resent the team’s performances and were calling-out for change.

In 2008, they hired one of the most prominent managers of all times in European football named Jurgen Klopp who is the current coach of Liverpool Football Club. After making a good name for himself at Mainz, he had become the first choice for the club. Under his leadership, the first few seasons were average but eventually, Klopp, as he has come to be affectionately known, pushed the squad to incredible winning ways. He implemented a high pressing counter-attacking style which was described as heavy metal football and the club went on to take the Bundesliga title in the 2010 and the 2011 seasons.

Youssoufa Moukoko of Dortmund in action during the B Juniors Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Viktoria Koeln on August 19, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany.

(Aug. 18, 2017 - Source: Lukas Schulze/Bongarts)

Talent development

BvB takes pride in engaging youthful players and developing them to become world-class players. The end of 2019 saw the club fashionably sign a young teenager in Erling Haaland, a Norwegian who is originally from the Netherlands. In his January 2020 Bundesliga debut, the young superstar came from the bench to score a hat-trick in what has become one of Borussia Dortmund’s greatest ever comebacks in history.

The business model of recruiting raw, young talent and to nurture them into becoming superstars has become BvB’s best philosophy over the years. Since the unimpressive bankruptcy that the club experienced in 2005, in the aftermath of overspending, the executives of the club changed the strategy of recruitment. The Black and Yellow has become the best finishing school for young footballers in the entire world. In today's times, there is nowhere else in the world that a highly promising player in their late teens can go and so reliably be molded into a superstar. The smartest players, parents, and agents are aware of this notion. The youth co-ordinator for Borussia Dortmund Youth Academy explicitly stated that, “the biggest advantage at BvB is that we offer the greatest gift that young boys are looking for and it is the chance to play.” The main goal of the youth academy is to raise players that will qualify to become world-class players. The young players are kept in good shape as they are blessed with boarding facilities, healthy diets, great living conditions, and exceptional education. In the mornings, the young players go to school and later on they can carry on with proper training which does not necessarily exhaust the body’s performance.

Professionalism is a key factor at the multi-talent factory as they reach high limits in training. Their mentality is flooded with ‘winning’ it is ever so evident in the players’ performances on the pitch. For a young player, there is nothing like Dortmund City which is inundated with black and yellow colors everywhere and the training ground optimizes it. The players are graded into simple age groups namely, 12-15 years where they focus on technique, and 17-19 years where they focus on winning strategy and tactics.

The club sees training young players as a culture and the coaches are passionate to develop talent as a way of investment for the club. That is what distinguishes BVB from other clubs in Germany and in many parts of the world.

The role of Jurgen Klopp in promoting young talent

In the aftermath of bankruptcy in 2005 and not being able to pay hefty salaries of the players they had bought, performances needed a lot to be desired. In 2008, they roped in a profoundly unique coach in Klopp and under his leadership the club would revamp their youth production line, paying handsome dividends culminating in a Champions League final appearance in 2013. It was the same year in which the current Liverpool manager handed debuts to six academy products.

The German-born manager implemented an attacking football style that has its foundations in Dortmund youth, which is now being emulated by Europe’s big spenders to this day. It is said by BVB's youth coordinator that during games for the young players, their focus is not necessarily on winning though it's important, but on putting in a performance that is satisfying. At the end of each game, the young lads at the youth camp are given a sheet to fill, rate their performances and lay down their overall thoughts on how they can become better.

The youth lads are not only trained on the pitch but off the pitch with programs orchestrated to enhance their confidence in life, which inevitably plays a vital role on the pitch. There is a cultural activity done every quarter of the year that they participate in and an example is when BVB made them act out a play in English in front of 300 people. It is the kind of pressure that they have to overcome in order to play in front of 80,000 people at the Signal Iduna Park.

“A model born out of necessity and desperation has since become a hugely profitable business model for the club. In the last three years alone, Dortmund has raked in £427 million from transfers”

— Farai Maringa, FirstTouch Africa

Ousmane Dembele of Dortmund runs with the ball during the friendly match between Wuppertaler SV and Borussia Dortmund at Stadion Zoo on July 9, 2016 in Wuppertal, Germany.

(July 8, 2016 - Source: Christof Koepsel/Bongarts)

Dortmund’s successful youth products

Generally, it is obvious that of all the young players that get in the club youth camp, only a handful will make it to the top level but this is a different with BVB as they developed a reputation of being master craftsmen. The development of youthful talent has boosted the financial position of the club as they have had remarkable sales of talents over the years. One of the most incredible sales they pushed was the over €100-million sale of Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona. Dortmund have carefully put themselves in a position of attracting Europe’s elite and developing them to become renowned world-class players. Below is some of the top talents to emerge from Dortmund in recent memory.

1. Ousmane Dembele

Popularly known as the dribble king, his talents were clear to see even while he was still at a tender age at Rennes. But it was Dortmund who shrewdly signed the teenager for a mere €8 million in 2016. The Frenchman enjoyed a wonderful debut season in the Bundesliga, which attracted the attention of Barcelona, who were desperate to sign a new winger following the shock departure of Neymar for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017. Regardless of a troubled exit from Signal Iduna Park, Dembele still netted BVB a remarkable profit, with Barcelona agreeing to pay an initial €105m fee with the potential for a further €40m in add-ons.

2. Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang

The Gabonese starlet was given one of the toughest of jobs when he came to Dortmund in 2013. He played alongside Robert Lewandowski in his debut season at Signal Iduna Park and it was an incredibly rich show. However, when Robert decided to leave for arch rivals Bayern Munich, this meant the onus fell on Auba to become the center of the BVB attack, almost all on his own. Remarkably, he pulled it off, with a whopping 141 goals in 213 games making him one of Europe's elite strikers. He eventually left for the English Premier League, joining Arsenal for €62m which represented a massive return on the estimated €13m they had acquired him for from St. Etienne in 2013.

3. Ilkay Gundogan

The Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan ran the Dortmund midfield for five seasons between 2011 and 2016, having joined on a cut-price of €5.5m deal from Nurnberg when he was just 20. Manchester City was absolutely impressed with his gameplay and came to sign him in 2016. Dortmund pocketed €22.1m as profit from the sale of the striker and at his current club, he has won two English Premier League Championships, an FA Cup and two Carabao Cups.

Julian Weigl of Dortmund celebrates with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund (r) after he scored his teams sixth goal to make it 6:1 during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Moenchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park on September 23, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany.

(Sept. 22, 2017 - Source: Lars Baron/Bongarts)

4. Shinji Kagawa

Shinji was plucked from his native Japan for a mere €350,000 in 2010, with Dortmund taking advantage of a clause that allowed him to leave Cerezo Osaka on a cut-price deal should a European club come knocking. The attacking midfielder quickly became a fan favorite at Signal Iduna Park, scoring at a rate of just under a goal every two games and helped BVB to the Bundesliga title in each of his two seasons in Germany. Manchester United was delighted by his style of play and pulled out £17m from their billfold to secure his services. Dortmund were sorry to see him leave but happy with their substantial market gain. Just two years later after an unsuccessful spell at Old Trafford, Dortmund were able to re-sign Kagawa for just €8m.

5. Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic is one of Dortmund’s latest and arguably greatest transfer success story. The versatile American attacker was picked up at the tender age of 16 and quickly forced his way into the first teams of both his club and his country. In signing for Chelsea, Pulisic became Dortmund's second-biggest sale of all time, after Dembele. Dortmund sold him to Chelsea for £58m.

6. Mario Gotze

A product of the club's youth system, Gotze cost the club nothing and quickly became a teenage sensation. In 2013 the attacking midfielder decided to depart after Bayern Munich triggered the €37 million release clause in his contract. The lad is most famous for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil but through a combination of form and fitness issues, he never settled at the Allianz Arena and returned to Signal Iduna Park for €22m in 2016, admitting that he regretted ever leaving.

7. Sokratis Papastathopoulos

The Greek international’s sale proved another good investment when he chose to move to Arsenal. The defender starred for five years at BVB's camp, forming a remarkable partnership with Hummels to establish himself as a top-class center-half. Arsenal decided to move for the Greek and paid BVB approximately €15.9m meaning more money for the club.

8. Henrikh Mkhitaryan

The Armenian playmaker arrived in Dortmund in the year 2013 coming from Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk. He was phenomenal in attacking midfield. Three outstanding seasons in the Bundesliga earned Mkhitaryan a €41.8m move to Manchester United, and the Black and Yellow got another healthy profit on their initial investment. He later moved to Arsenal where he played delightful football alongside a former BVB player in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before being signed by Roma on loan.

Mario Gotze of Borussia Dortmund and Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund battle for possession during a Borussia Dortmund training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group H match against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on September 12, 2017 in London, England.

(Sept. 11, 2017 - Source: Alex Pantling/Getty Images Europe)

9. Mats Hummels

In the case of Mats Hummels, Bayern Munich's loss turned out to be an infinite gain for their arch-rivals BVB. The defender was not playing extremely well as a youngster for Die Roten and was shoved off to Borussia Dortmund in 2008 for a dirt-cheap fee of just €4m. Investment in Hummels was worthwhile as he became the chief cornerstone of the Dortmund defense system. He assisted the club in acquiring two consecutive league wins, also helping them to a Champions League final in the 2012-13 season. Hummels also got his hands on the 2014 World Cup trophy with Germany before Bayern Munich came to buy him out of BVB for €35m though later returning home to Signal Iduna Park.

10. Matthias Ginter

Props go to Borussia Dortmund for the exceedingly great eye for talent. BVB discovered Matthias Ginter when he was just 20 and they got him for just €10m from Freiburg prior to the 2014-15 season. He became a master in the Dortmund defense for three years, playing more than 100 games before he was allowed to leave for Borussia Monchengladbach. BVB cleared made a healthy profit of €7m on the center-back when they released him.

Out of necessity and desperation to profound success

Jurgen Klopp the manager of Borussia Dortmund speaks with Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund prior to kickoff during UEFA Champions League Group D match between Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund at Turk Telekom Arena on October 22, 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey.

(Oct. 21, 2014 - Source: Lars Baron/Getty Images Europe)

Borussia Dortmund has now built one of the most admired structures in Europe as they continue to develop young stars that grow up to become world-class players. Borussia Dortmund manages their young prodigies with familial care. They are in regular dialogue with the parents of Sancho, for instance, and with the FA about the footballing development. In the 2019/20 season, the average age of Dortmund’s team has been 25.4 - three years younger than Bayern Munich, and almost a whole year younger than any of the 20 Premier League clubs, according to Football Observatory.

Dortmund’s business model is to essentially identify the world’s best young players, nurture them and give them game-time they would have been denied elsewhere, and then sell them on for a huge profit. Wild over-spending in the past led to the club almost becoming bankrupt and it's from that unhealthy experience that encouraged the club’s executives to look at different ways and focus on talent development to avoid excessive and unnecessary costs.

Huge credit goes to Jurgen Klopp as he spearheaded the model when he arrived from a second-division side called Mainz. The Dortmund website shows that the club stopped looking at seasoned, mid-market pros and instead concentrate their efforts on identifying "young high-potentials" who are just beginning of their careers, hungry for game time, willing to learn and crucially, much less of a burden on the balance sheet. In the 2007-08 season, the average age of new recruits had been just over 27 years. Twelve months later, it was reduced to 23.5 years and it went only further down from there, hovering between 22 and 23 over the following decade.

A model born out of necessity and desperation has since become a hugely profitable business model for the club. In the last three years alone, Dortmund has raked in £427 million from transfers, including £105m for Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), £62m for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) and £58m for Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), the latest high-profile departure.

Truth is Dortmund would rather keep their best players to become the best club in Europe but selling some great players is in acceptance of economic reality. When players start getting demand from other big clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, they are offered profoundly higher wages and as such a decision to leave by these players will be inevitable so they can earn what they deserve.

Parting Word

All factors remaining constant, Borussia Dortmund will soon be able to pay their players enough to keep them in the long term, then win titles and make a tremendous impact in European Football. The club will need to continue developing worthy talent in the academy, scouting, signing up-and-coming stars and consistently reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Their ability to develop young talent will always be talked about for several years!

FirstTouch have a fireside chat with Portland Timbers' Jeremy Ebobisse

FirstTouch’s Topher Hegngi sat down with Portland Timbers’ forward, Jeremy Ebobisee to discuss everything collegiate soccer, MLS, becoming a pro, the state of US Soccer and more. Below is a rare but comprehensive transcript of their chat which definitely breaks down and helps shape America’s soccer landscape.

INTRODUCTION

The instant Jeremy Ebobisse picked up the phone, I could hear the adjusted tone in his voice, letting me know that he was still finding a spot to chat. I, sitting slumped in the passenger's seat of my brother’s car watching rain furiously pelt the windshield, immediately empathized with him. After a late evening bus ride from NYC to DC, the rainstorm had only grown in severity, so I was just happy he seemed to be able to hear me clearly. Jeremy, on the other hand, was experiencing much better weather in Chula Vista, CA, on his debut camp with the U.S. National Team, and was having a much more exciting evening.

One of the first things you notice when speaking to Jeremy is his poise, which is impressive given how his 2019 started and concluded. Selected as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, Jeremy initially had a tough time breaking into the Portland Timbers rotation in his rookie season. After registering just eight minutes over the first 26 games of the 2018 season, the forward made the most of a surprise start against the Colorado Rapids in September, netting a goal in the Timbers’ 2-0 victory. He went on to start all six of Portland’s playoff games, bagging a goal and an assist as the Timbers made an eventual run to the MLS Cup Final. The breakout performance earned Jebo, now aged 21, his first-ever call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team in January, which he christened with a debut start against Panama.

Now after his third season with Portland, it was one of true breakout for the French-born forward of Cameroonian and Malagasy descent. Jeremy appeared in all 34 matches for the Timbers, starting in 25 of them. Cementing his importance for the club, he’s scored a career-high 11 goals in the process. “I think the team’s gotten more confident in allowing me to express myself a little bit more on the field,” Ebobisse said in an interview with the MLS regarding whether he’s playing with more confidence now. “I think sometimes when young players come to a team, they don’t want to ruffle any feathers. They kind of want to defer to other people and I think that’s natural. I think you have to earn the respect from players around you but myself and a lot of other young guys who have come in this year have done so very quickly.”

Confidence is perhaps the next thing you notice with Jeremy, but with a foundation of humility well beyond his years. Well, maybe not if you ask anyone in his direct family, who can all attest to the type of young man he is. They’d probably bring up a 12-year-old Jeremy audaciously announcing to his family that he was going to be a professional soccer player. While that might have sounded lofty to them at the time, Jeremy was about to back up his affirmations through his exploits for the Bethesda Soccer Club, a top youth program in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

By 15, Ebobisse had developed into a rather prolific goal scorer, and soon after, he accepted an invitation to train with the academy program at English Premier League club Fulham. Remember the humility I mentioned earlier? Even though Jeremy was beginning to live the dream that so many young athletes hope to experience in their young careers, you couldn’t tell his parents that any of that mattered more than his education. Well, at least not at first. His father Alain, who met Jeremy’s mother, Lisa, at an engineering school in France, continued on to earn an MBA in Switzerland. His life became a distinguished example of how education can open doors, ultimately giving him the opportunity to join the World Bank Group and bring his family to the States.

At home, the family would spend their time together engaging over a variety of topics, from sports or food to delving deep into challenging discussions about politics and current affairs. “We were definitely an education-first family for large portions of my childhood,” Ebobisse said. “But then slowly, as I started to play in more competitive tournaments and I started to be evaluated by scouts for professional teams overseas, it began to open different doors.”

If education opens doors, then the same can be said of humility. In the esteemed words of the late T.S. Eliot, “The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility.” Alain made the trip to England to tour the Fulham facilities and watch his son play. When he saw Jeremy score against Chelsea’s academy team, he realized in that moment that his son actually had the ability to compete at the highest level. Even if visa issues eventually prevented Ebobisse from staying with Fulham, Alain was sold. Convinced. “I believe that either you do something fully or you don’t do it at all,” Alain said. “I realized that he had to decide to either pursue education studies fully or pursue soccer fully. At this level, where everyone is so good, you have to be fully there if you want to have a chance.” With the blessing and encouragement of his family, Jeremy immersed himself in the game with unrelenting confidence.

THE INTERVIEW

Topher: I know we talked about that moment when you're in high school and sort of made that realization, not only that you might have the talent to do it but more importantly it was kind of a realization of your work ethic and your drive that could give you the opportunity to make it. When did you make that kind of realization for yourself?

Jeremy: I can tell you we all have that dream, as a kid you’re watching morning soccer or whatever it might be and you envision yourself in the biggest stadium. It doesn’t become a reality until you know later on in life when we are given that opportunity you’ve been working for. In my sophomore year of high school, I had to go on trial in England. And my coach helped prepare me in a way where it took all the pressure off of me.

Topher: That is a surreal moment for a kid, isn’t it? When you’re starting to take your craft seriously.

Jeremy: You know what I mean? Anyways, my coach said I have a training opportunity for you, it will be really cool for you know to like get some training overseas and see what it's like over there and then when I get there I’m thinking you know like, whatever happens, I'm not staying. It’s not permanent. I’m not signing papers. I just needed to tell myself, “OK, take a deep breath, I'm here on trial, it’s whatever.” Approaching it like that helped calm me down and I ended up playing really well. I think I scored like 7 goals in 4 games.

Topher: Well after performances like that, there had to be interest right?

Jeremy: Yeah, immediately they really wanted to sign me and next match I scored against Chelsea coming off the bench, then scored against a couple of league one academies. They even flew my dad out, to the following trial that I went to two months later. And oh my God, it had been a really big education for this guy! He got to see the facility, the infrastructure, the outline and the goal that they set for me. And I bought into the idea that under the right circumstances, with the right tools and with the right drive that I could actually make it.

Topher: That sounds like quite a moment for both of you.

Jeremy: Probably the biggest moment for me and him. What he always preached to me was that he didn't care what I did, what field I went into, but that he wanted me to make sure that whatever I chose to do, I do it 100 percent. I think he always knew I was going to go the soccer route, and he was happy and very supportive.

Topher: What advice did they give you?

Jeremy: At the end of the day, you're going to have to work really hard in anything you do if you want to make it in life.

Topher: When in high school was this trip?

Jeremy: That was the summer after my freshman year, going into my sophomore year.

Topher: That’s pretty early. How did that end up impacting college recruitment for you?

Jeremy: My college recruiting process was a little bit more unique. I graduated a year early from high school and my whole youth career. So you know I remember getting letters and emails as early as 8th grade just because scouts would come to watch the sophomores and they would realize I was a strong athlete for my age, let me get on some radars. Even though coaches monitor high school soccer, they kind of needed to work around that. Slowly but surely, I started getting interest but it was all going through my coach because at that point they couldn’t contact me. Sophomore year, I got more interest after I started doing a few college camps as well.

Topher: Is that when Duke came into the picture?

Jeremy: Yeah, a couple of months into my sophomore year, Duke floated the idea to my club team at the time, that I graduate early from high school. I remember jumping at it because I liked the idea of having to find a new club team from my high school. So from that moment, you know word got to the college coaches that I was going to graduate early and that's when everything started to flood in and from there.

Topher: Were you considering any other schools?

Jeremy: I really only considered could Duke and Stanford and then Maryland a little bit as well, but I realized that Maryland was going to be a little bit tough for me being so close to home and maybe having a more distracting environment since I still knew so many people in the area. Between November and my sophomore high school that's when everything really got rolling.

Topher: That’s an exciting time. It’s really cool to hear how level-headed you were at just approaching that process. Like you said, graduating early would impact the decision that you're making but it's also cool to figure out how high you have the bar raised for yourself in terms of limiting the distractions. I feel like that is kind of an underrated perspective, for young players. It's so exciting and easy to kind of be attracted to where the most excitement is. But you also want to be yourself, prepare yourself up for success and not limit yourself with distractions too early you know.

Jeremy: Yeah, I mean it would have been really cool to play for Maryland, you know they’ve got 8,000 fans a game, I mean that's exciting. You know that was definitely a big draw towards the school but I was talking to one of my friends one year earlier before college and he was telling me how much harder it was to focus for him in that environment. I’ve heard the stories about people making it hard on themselves by letting the attention go to their head too early and by going out spending too much money and time on things that fill up their heads up and gives them an over-inflated sense of self.

Topher: So how did you analyze both opportunities at the time?

Jeremy: So, on one hand, mostly in Europe, you have all the tools to succeed. You have all the coaches, the fields, and equipment to get you there. You have the scouts watching you for the second you’re ready to jump into the next level but then you also have all the glamour that comes with that. And unfortunately, young players definitely diverge off the path. And that's when you know then who is going to make it and who is not. And I say that with college, because college although you don't have that immediate path to the 1st team, you have other positives.

A lot of these schools have state of the art facilities. I know Duke has an unbelievable practice field. You also have coaches and advisors that want to help you get the next level, but then it’s up to you to actually take matters into your own hands or do you fall for the regular college student life which I'll tell you I'm sure you experienced it as well. It’s attractive but at the same time can be short-sighted for someone who has the potential to at least experience a few years of the game.

Topher: It really is an opportunity to say hey, I have to maximize the time that I'm here because again you don't know how long you're going to be in school.

Jeremy: Definitely. I'm not saying to kids who want to go to college that they can’t have fun and go pro. But there’s a right place and time for that. Figure out what works for you and don't go with the flow, know what your goals are and then from there organize yourself accordingly. But there’s no reason why you can’t have fun as well.

Topher: Tell me when did you get your 1st National Team call up?

Jeremy: So I did a big ID camp when I was 14, it was like a big pool camp with 120 players, and was under a lot of pressure from my club coach and the regional U.S. national team scout at the time. I got called into a U-17 camp but ended up getting hurt 2 weeks beforehand. I didn't feel right to rush myself back into it with the back injury and ended up going to my 1st camp as a U-18 player. Slowly but surely I worked my way back into the fold.

Topher: What would you say to other younger players about what you learned from your experience being recruited and how you made your decision and I guess college soccer's overall role in the development of youth in the United States and kind of how you kept an eye on that and let it influence and impact decisions?

Jeremy: I think when I was recruited we were looking at a different landscape of the professional level in this country and the collegiate level. Unfortunately, I don't think the collegiate level is progressing as quickly as it could. So it only becomes harder. You find a USL team and takes a bet on you. Whether you to go college and try to balance the best of both worlds or take your luck in the draft which who knows where it's going to be as well in the next 4 or 5 years, the landscape isn’t the clearest right now.

Topher: Any advice to them?

Jeremy: My advice to a young player would be to honestly reflect on their own career and their trajectory and what they want as well. Do they want to be the best player that they can be? If that's the case, you have to find a professional team, be it in the second Division in Sweden or USL or somewhere in Mexico.

There are so many teams as well, if you have the right talent level you will find the right team. Now the flip side of that is do they want to just go to college, go with the flow and whatever happens, happens and by all means that's where colleges can still continue to help players. Programs that are turning out quality professional players, there’s no reason why you can completely discount college soccer, but I would admit that guys going to college tend to fall behind and I fell in that category 100 percent.

Topher: How did it make you feel watching some of your peers who chose to forego college?

Jeremy: While I was figuring how to prove myself in the next year and a half, I watched peers who signed pro at 17, and started breaking into the MLS. Their development trajectory was 2 years ahead of mine. And by that time I realized I'm 20 years old and I'm not even playing at all and so on the flip side there are 20 years-olds who by their 2nd season are full-time starters.

I don't hold any regrets because Duke taught me a lot of things and I have a lot of important relationships that I made while at Duke. I still have attained the level that I’m proud of and I can still get to where I hope to be.

I also recognize that this is potentially my 1st season as a starter, and if I win the job going forward, I'm looking at guys my age again now 3-4 years of starters. It’s important to recognize that in terms of experience around the world if I'm going to be competing in the Olympic cycle, I'm going to be behind the ball and I have to mature a lot quicker than some of the other guys out there.

Topher: You make a lot of good points. Young players are becoming more educated and empowered to understand that they have choices.

Jeremy: It was still taboo even as a young player when the people in your life are telling you to go and skip college, go overseas and play wherever you can play. That is a complicated decision and one that you have to weigh up. But I fully understand coming out of college and even spent like 4 seasons in college but you know what I mean? Again, like you said, it doesn't diminish you as a player because you still learn things and you develop, but as you said, you do look around and you're like hey even though I’m still talented, even though I trust myself and I have my dream of where I want to get to, you look around and see other players around your age and players that you played with or again who may have been outside of the system for a long year and you feel like you might be behind.

Topher: You said it perfectly! You do need to bust your butt that much more to catch up and then get ahead. It's great to hear how humble you are in that experience and the progress that you've made.

Jeremy: You look at guys around the world, a 19-year-old is starting in the Bundesliga, the Premier League and whereas here on the flip side, a 19-year-old is playing in college and naturally the guy in the Bundesliga is going to grow exponentially and the guy in college might grow linearly. When you look around in the Bundesliga, guys my age, to name a few, Justin Black, Tyler Adams, these guys have been playing since they were 16-17 in the league. And now Tyler finds himself breaking into the first team.

It's a little bit fascinating and also it just tells you that you know there is a reward and obviously for every Tyler, there's 100 kids who don't make it, if you want to be that person who takes a chance or do you want to be a person who was asking what if and we're in different ages now. You know we're in an age where a lot of these young athletes if you’re putting in the work in training, a lot of them or a handful of them will be given the opportunity to play because they recognize that they can make a profit off selling you. So you know, there's more infrastructure, there's more of a foundation for you to succeed and again Tyler was one of the 1st who signed for the Red Bull team and then in his next year signed with the 1st team and slowly but surely he’s integrating.

Again your path may be playing in an academy at 16 and then going to college. For others, USL may be better than college and you're already experiencing that as a young teenager. You know it's different for everyone and another piece of advice that I think is important is that everyone's path is different, I watched some of my best friends go pro at 14/15 and then I watched some guys and I've heard stories about guys who perhaps went D3, went D2, played NAIA and had to grind USL and NAFL and all that in order to get their shot, but they made it work too. So everyone’s path is different and you shouldn’t be ashamed of your path, that’s something important to mention.

Topher: It’s definitely important to keep in mind that at the end of the day as a pro or even an aspiring pro you do have to kind of take it with a grain of salt and focus on yourself and make sure that you're in tune with your own process.

Jeremy: I think that’s something that I hope to continue seeing change with younger players and their decision making. Whether it's pressure from parents or pressure from other people for whom the education and collegiate experience has been important, America still has the stereotype that there is one way to make it.

If you don't go to college, you don't do it this way, then people kind of make you feel like you're losing out on something, whereas I think that over the last 3-5 years in terms of self-education; many colleges and companies are accepting different certifications that are out there to empower yourself. If you're diligent and work hard enough you can still get a lot of opportunities to develop your professional career off the field. I think that will be something that continues to empower young athletes and to think, “Hey, if I have a talent, this is my window, I can go for it as hard as I want to, and as long as I have a plan later in life to kind of make up the ground and get to where you want to get to as a professional in your working career, I can still reach my goals.

Topher: Do you think this an issue specific to soccer in the U.S. or something athletes from all sports have to asses?

Jeremy: I think in a country this big and diverse in terms of sports, we’ve got to change. The soccer culture in the world is different than the NFL and NBA culture here. You know in the NBA and the NFL, the stars have to go to college but soccer players around the world don’t. So we're going to see young kids who are ambitious and who are watching the Christian Pulisic’s of the world, etc. all these young guys skip college and they're going to say I'm sorry, but I’m not saying it's going to work out for every single one of those kids, but I'm never going to shoot a kid down who has the talent and who has the drive.

I can look at a kid… I can look at a 16-year-old and tell you if he has that mentality to make it and it’s the same way I can look at an 18-year-old or a 19-year-old because I went through it.  I'm going to relive some really hard moments again; drop my career and I have some tough moments as well where I didn’t know if I was going to make it, but it's how you react to these moments that define where you’ll be in the next 6 months or a year. If a young athlete is willing to sacrifice the immediate benefits of social life, then there's no reason why you can't get to some sort of level. College will not run away from you and you don't need your body in peak physical condition to be in college. So that’s my wrap.

Topher: You’re definitely right, the culture is slowly changing That being said, it's good preparation for life because as a young driven person with a good head on your shoulders, you're proving to yourself that you can do the things that you set your mind and your heart towards. The periphery people in your life will always have their opinion.

Jeremy: There’s a lot of time off the field to figure out your life after your career. There's no reason to shut the door on the ball just because you're scared of what might happen or some else’s opinion on the matter. Like I said, there’s so many teams in this world, there’s one team that will fit you if you’ve worked hard enough from a young enough age and obviously you have some sort of talent. It's about how hard you're willing to go for it. I’ve got guys that are grinding in Slovakia. A friend of mine was working in Slovenia and now he’s moved on to Slovakia which is a solid league in Europe, even though not as glamorous as Ligue 1 or the Belgium one. But top football leagues in Europe know that Slovakia is a tough league and one that has a lot of benefits, so I’m happy for him.

When he was leaving college, he left before senior year and there were definitely people including coaches that were saying, “Why are you leaving?” That he didn’t have a guarantee there and he should be waiting and hoping to go to the MLS. For me, he's just a living example of what drive and determination can do. He tells me stories about how hard it was in Slovenia, and how he always wanted to come home. Not everyone is cut off for that, but he made it work and then he had an offer to come back and play in the USL which is closer to MLS. At the same time, he was able to land an important deal in Slovakia which is going to only further springboard his career because from Slovakia if he can play well, which I have no doubt that he will, he can bounce into Denmark or Sweden or the MLS and continue his journey to his own personal mountain top.

It doesn't mean that that's going to be a thing for everyone, everyone is different and that really excites me to see him go through that journey and then watching him grow from afar as a person and player.

Topher: What an inspiring journey. As you said, that's something that you do have to come to a realization for yourself and your personal mountain top. So I totally agree with you man. Touching on your journey from college to Portland, I feel like you've seen a lot of change in U.S. Soccer in terms of the collegiate experience and its role in developing young talent. U.S. Soccer is currently trying to find itself after a huge identity shift. With what you’ve seen, how has that impacted your experience with U.S. Soccer?

Jeremy: I mean it goes further back than that. Just watching the World Cup in the country that you live in and watching that country play, it’s something that inspires everyone. It creates a sense of bonding and appreciation for that and I'm sure that's what the players felt when France won. Slowly but surely you see the US making its own progress.

With highs like winning the Gold Cup and lows like losing to Mexico in the World Cup or even failing to qualify for the World Cup, we are seeing a rebirth and it’s exciting. There are a lot of players from the past who have inspired my generation of players to take soccer to a new heights and you see it with U-20 national team and U-17 in the last 2-3 cycles, they want to win, but they want to play, they want to run, and they want to show that we're just as talented as some of these other nations.

Topher: How is that culture being manifested in this first initial period with Berhalter?

Jeremy: We want to try and impose ourselves, I think that kind of fearlessness is going to drive us into what I'm going to say will be our most prosperous era. We have an ambitious coach who is set on changing the way that the world sees U.S. Soccer, and we have players who not only have the talent but have the mentality ready to fight hard against the hardest of situations that they could be in and then also bring joy that, quite frankly is uninspired right now. We’re taking it upon ourselves, whether it's the U-23 or the U-20 or both, to push the culture to a new level.

Building steps for the finished product there were some rough moments, but at the end of the day, you also saw some highs. From a national team standpoint, that's been exciting but even from a from a club standpoint, I've seen a lot too. I mean the rise for us, the rise in our academy system. The shifting demographic in college soccer to more homegrown findings in USL and the massive impact from our Women’s National Team has led the way. All of this is only good for soccer in this country. You know you have more options for young players to play in. You have more opportunities for local teams to get nationwide coverage. You have more money being spent on the sport and that's only going to improve and with the World Cup coming in 2026, I think that will be a unique referendum on the state of U.S. Soccer in general because we’re looking at 6-7 years from now, when we will be well into “this new era of rebirth.” And it's really exciting you know to watch as a fan but also hopefully as a player.

Topher: It's very exciting to see and I have no doubt that you will be playing an awesome part of that. Getting your most recent front-row seat being a part of Berhalter’s initial camp and initial games, what are some of the differences in playing style and identity in comparison to Klinsmann?

Jeremy: I can't speak for Klinsmann’s teams, but I can speak for Greg and his staff and they've been very clear about the identity that we want to have. They've been hammering it home every single day at that camp. We want to break lines, we want to control the game, we want to manipulate the defenders to open up certain passing patterns and crossing options for ourselves. Obviously the execution wasn't always there because it is a new system, this is a work in progress but all our laws are clear, we knew exactly what to do on the field. And that’s not a clarity I've always had in my youth and collegiate career, I didn't have that kind of clarity and that’s really refreshing.

In the camp, you really get to see what Greg is about. It's super exciting, getting my 1st cap was something surreal even if I was playing out of position. I think it spoke to the confidence the staff put in me, in an international game out of position and I just took it all in stride. It was really special and it just makes me want more. I can't harp on it enough, you get a taste of something, you get a taste of the next level and all you want to do is just continue to prove yourself, to show that you deserve to be back there and so on a personal front, I hope to be back in the senior national team when it's my time again. I understand I'm lucky because U-23 is going to be really important to US Soccer run each eligible player and for that again, we're talking about righting wrongs and inspiring the fan-base, I think this is going to be a unique opportunity.

Topher: Definitely man. I respect and appreciate your humility talking about the opportunity for yourself. Props to you and I have no doubt that you will continue to have your opportunities to show all of your talent and your work ethic in the upcoming U.S. Soccer events.

Jeremy: I mean there can be ups and downs as you know, but I think it's important to acknowledge from the get-go that it's about trying to limit the downs.

With that I can position myself in a place where you know my club coach has to play me, whether it's out wide, whether it's in the center or whether it's in a different position than I might have never played before, I just want to make sure that I'm doing everything I can to be on the field and ultimately to be a part of that national team because you know I think again there’s so many special moments to be having in the future, at the club and international level and I need to do what I can to try and be a part of all that. It's exciting, you know. It's something that professional players feel and I'm just lucky and I know that I worked hard and I fully believe I deserve everything that I've gotten following the good and the bad, but I think there's a lot to come and I need to be ready for it.

Topher: Acknowledging some of those down periods can be important for a young player. What have been some tough times that you've had along your career so far?

Jeremy: I would say my first year at Duke was one for sure. Coming in after a long season, laboring with some soft tissue problems. I was unable to take a break really and I took a week off and then I had to get in shape and then I didn’t pass the fitness test. Then they had me running 2-3 days for a few weeks which not only made my body feel worse but eventually broke my body down halfway through the year. The coaches were extremely disappointed and so was I.

The way they were treating me, they felt that they wasted a full ride. In the summer I was demoted to the second team and the assistant coach didn’t feel like I was performing to my potential. Personally, I thought I was being scapegoated and that was a really low moment in my career. I was wondering if I was even gonna make it anymore. It’s in those moments where you have some dangerous thoughts.

Topher: Was there anything you learned that allowed you to kind of pull forward and continue to build on the form and the work ethic that put you to where you even ended this most recent season?

Jeremy: Yeah I just think you take a step back and especially for this year I started meditating more. It's the little things like that, that definitely helped me stay focused. It's taking it day by day, like understanding that there’s going to struggle through your successes and not being too hypersensitive to everything that goes on.

Topher: How have figures like Giovanni or Michael helped with your development over the last few years?

Jeremy: I think they made it hard on me but in a way that benefitted me. Guys always come into the league and they feel that they're ready to start, they're ready to be the man, ready to get sold, ready to be whatever it might be and I think sometimes you know you've got coaches that have to humble you. And I'm not going to say that I was the most level headed player to come into the league, but I think I experienced that same kind of humbling under various coaches at various levels.

Topher: Some of the best coaches and developers in our youth teams today know how to do that. They know how to recognize the players that do need that and what level they kind of need to give it to those players to draw the best out of them and so it's kind of like showing it to the players.

Jeremy: Right? I’d even add that a lot of times that you have to take matters into your own hands. Again, because the coaches have to worry about the team as well, so you can't rely on the coach to be looking after you, you have to be willing to do what you have to do to get that for yourself and ready to force yourself into the conversation.

Topher: Speaking on that “conversation”, after being in the MLS for a few years, what are your thoughts on the MLS, it’s the current model of DP’s and clubs investing in older and more experienced players and how that affects the sustainability for young players?

Jeremy: I mean, being in this league as a young player, I think that you know the league is in a tricky spot where it's trying to grow a lot while still attracting the big-name players. And that's something that as a young player you have to deal with because you could go anywhere in the world and you're going to have that same issue. At the same time, you know there's a lot of complexity with that on how clubs spend money and invest in players. It gets everyone to raise their level, it makes it more attractive to the fans as well.

Topher: What are some of the players that you looked up to while you're growing up, whether that was in the U.S. or abroad?

Jeremy: I’d definitely say Karim Benzema. I grew up watching the French team a lot with my family having ties to the country.

Topher: True, definitely a top player but also an underrated one. I feel like it's taken Cristiano leaving Madrid for him to get even more space on the field and the offense is kind of centered around him a bit more.

Jeremy: His presence has been very understated. He's been there since Ronaldo was there and dealt with Ronaldo being seen as the best man in the world. Benzema has always been someone who has good chemistry, plays well with his teammates and can score goals. When I was younger, I didn't always understand that when he wasn’t always scoring. When I got older and I realized he does a lot of things. I aimed to replicate that at whatever level I played at because it makes the game a lot easier for your teammates.

Topher: Who have been your mentors in the MLS during your time with the Timbers and what are some of the most important lessons that you've learned so far?

Jeremy: You know I don't think one specific mentor in this league. I think the young guys who are Tyler Adams, and some other guys with the youth national team that I played with for a long time, you know we drive each other and we try to learn off each other's mistakes, you know we look up to each other for guidance and experience. Obviously a lot of organizing, a lot more is fully invested in that as well. We learn by taking it step by step and going through the process because it's going to be a long career hopefully for all of us and we are going to reach heights that you know might have seemed impossible as a kid or as a dream but in time with the right mindset and surrounding yourself with the right people, I think we all have the potential to be where we want to be.

FIFA’s battle to win over top clubs ahead of the revamped 2021 Club World Cup

FIFA announced in October 2019 that the first edition of the revamped 24-team Club World Cup will take place in 2021. The announcement of the expanded tournament received some push back from major clubs who are reluctant to participate in the tournament. This fact puts the success of the tournament at risk, which depends on clubs and their willingness to compete in the worldwide tournament. FIFA is under pressure to rebrand the tournament and make it a favorite among fans as well as to address the issues raised by clubs as an integral part of restructuring the competition.

Photo Credit: FIFA.com

The main issue on the table for the recently formed World Football Clubs Association (WFCA) is the FIFA Club World Cup which will require substantial coordination between the world governing body and the clubs in order to improve the scheduled world cup contest.

The New World Club Cup format

China will host the first-ever edition of what FIFA boss Gianni Infantino calls a real showcase of the world’s best teams.  The move to expand the tournament from 7 teams to 24 teams is set to be a spectacle for fans who will get to see the best teams around the globe. Eight teams will come from Europe, six from South America, 3 from Africa, Asia and North America as well as one for Oceania. The tournament is likely to close the gap on some of the inequalities that hinder the development of the game in some parts of the world. European teams have won 11 out of the past 12 Club World Cups, and South American sides reached the final eight times in the past 12 years. The move by FIFA is a step forward for the global game by offering smaller leagues an opportunity to compete against the best in the world.

“The new FIFA World Cup for clubs will be a competition which every person who loves football looks forward to. It is the first real and true world cup for the best teams and clubs in the world.”- Gianni Infantino, FIFA President

Along with dealing with the backlash from clubs, the announcement caused a storm of criticism for FIFA’s decision on choosing China amidst human rights accusations over the protests in Hong Kong and the ongoing crisis of Uighur Muslims in China after FIFA had originally set the host as Qatar. However, the deaths of migrant workers during the construction of stadiums received strong criticism from human rights organizations over the treatment of migrants in Qatar. FIFA has been accused of not paying enough attention to human rights violations, which are among the problems that Infantino is faced with in launching the revamped cup.

ECA stands by its European Agenda

Photo Credit: UEFA.com

The European clubs have disagreements with FIFA over the expansion of the Club World Cup and with none more so than Juventus and European Club Association president, Andrea Agnelli. The ECA represents 232 of the continent’s leading sides and is in charge of the UEFA Champions League. Unsurprisingly one of the fiercest critics of this move has been the Italian billionaire highlighting that the FIFA corruption scandals culminating in 2015 arrests are a reason for FIFA to focus mainly on its role as a governing body to avoid such situations. Infantino invited seven top clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester City, to hear the proposals in Zurich.  As Europe’s biggest governing body with the capacity to give FIFA fierce pushback, ECA maintains that FIFA should keep its place a governing body and play its role of just regulating the sport. Angelli’s plans for European football include making the seasons in Europe more connected and taking the European game to a whole new level. He also talks of “harmonization” of transfer windows, refereeing, and a mandatory summer month of rest for the players.

His other ambitious plans to raise up the UEFA League, will most of all come head to head with Infantino’s plans for an expanded format for a worldwide tournament. Infantino has already spoken to some teams in closed-door meetings, including big guns such as Barcelona and Real Madrid with big monies promised for participation. However, Agnelli has also raised concerns on the investment and the financial backing that FIFA has promised to put into the tournament, adding that the new structures were reminiscent of FIFA’s past dealings that led to the biggest corruption scandal in football history.

Photo Credit: FIFA.com

Can FIFA’s past be rewritten?

Infantino has tried his best to revamp FIFA and move away from the high profile corruption scandal that went down in 2015 implicating long term serving FIFA president, Sepp Blatter. A number of FIFA’s top brass received prosecutions from American and Swiss authorities over their involvement in bribery. A total of fourteen people were accused and investigated for a $150 million scheme that included bribes and kickbacks. FIFA senior vice president David Chung of Papua New Guinea was banned for 6 1/2 years and Kwesi Nyantakyi of Ghana was banned for life. Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait withdrew his re-election candidacy when implicated in bribing voters. Reinhard Grindel of Germany resigned. Infantino was also investigated and soon cleared in 2016 by the FIFA ethics committee for his use of private jets. However, skepticism around the governing body’s dealings shadows the decisions that have to be made by FIFA. The arrests were a disaster for FIFA and it can be argued that the unscrupulous dealings of the former administration have cast a wary eye from most club presidents who are of the view that FIFA should be playing a role as the governing body and nothing else.

“Some of the fiercest criticism of the new format was that FIFA failed to consult clubs on the new calendar and how the tournament will be financed. As of late, eight clubs came together to form a club representative body called World Football Club Association which serves as a platform for constructive dialogue between the clubs and FIFA.”

— Margaret Mandeya, FirstTouch Africa

WFCA, a softer landing for FIFA

On WFCA, it is a friendlier alternative to ECA which has been opposed to FIFA’s current plans that are willing to cooperate with the governing body to make the flagship tournament successful in 2021. WFCA is currently made up of eight club representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Members include Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, TP Mazembe, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Club America, Guangzhou Evergrande, New Zealand’s Auckland City, and Italy’s AC Milan leaders as well. The association is hoping to grow into a global platform for clubs and adding new clubs to the list of its members. WFCA working with FIFA adds merit to FIFA’s bid for the revamped World Cup and its proposal. This platform serves as a conduit for clubs to discuss their issues with FIFA and make sure that a tournament does happen and is in accord with the rest of the club’s interests.

With 2021 around the corner, FIFA’s work to gunner full support from clubs and the WFCA’s efforts remain crucial in ensuring the success of the revamped 24-team Club World Cup scheduled for China.

FIFA to turn Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium into a soccer laboratory

Introduction

To think that football would be associated with science would have been a mirage a decade ago! In today’s world, anything is possible as we are gifted with an opportunity to get a glimpse into the initiative being managed by FIFA of turning Barcelona Football Club's stadium into a soccer laboratory for generations to come.

A full-scale renovation is due to begin in 2020 and be completed in 2024, bringing the iconic venue up to modern standards. The club is also eager for the stadium to be the largest sports experimentation and innovation laboratory in the world.

Photo Credit: FCBarcelona.com

FIFA & FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is an association governed by Swiss law founded in 1904 and based in Zurich. Its goal, enshrined in its statutes, is the constant improvement of football through organizing international tournaments and sees its role as protecting and developing the game of football for everyone around the world. In sheer effort to raise the bar for international football, FIFA intends to use FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium as a testing laboratory in the field of sports technology.

FC Barcelona is a powerhouse in the La Liga Football league based in Spain and has won numerous trophies since it was established, and is home to some of the best football players in the world namely Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The club’s Camp Nou stadium is one of the most famous soccer arenas in the world. It has an official capacity just shy of 100,000 and has played host to some of the most dramatic moments in the sport’s history with most notably the 1999 UEFA Champions League final.

The Camp Nou stadium’s maximum height is 48 meters, and it covers a whole surface area of 55,000 square meters with 250 meters in length and 220 meters in width. In accordance with UEFA stipulations, the playing area has been downsized to 105 meters x 68 meters. With a capacity of 99,354, it is now the biggest stadium in Europe. However, the total capacity has varied over the years owing to different modifications. When it was first opened in 1957, it held 93,053 spectators, which would be increased to 120,000 in 1982 on occasion of the FIFA World Cup. However, the introduction of new regulations outlawing standing areas reduced the stadium’s capacity in the late 1990s to just fewer than 99,000.

Innovation hub origins and soccer laboratory concept

In the 1998-99 season, UEFA recognized the services and facilities at Camp Nou by awarding it a five-star status. In 2010, in line with the new UEFA regulations, this rating was replaced by the new 'Category 4' title which was bestowed to stadiums which fulfill the most demanding requirements with regards to facilities, services, and capacity such as FC Barcelona's stadium.

Photo Credit: FCBarcelona.com

This new era was chosen for the Camp Nou, to make a precision study of monitoring systems used by companies that collect variables during football matches. These tests, carried out in several sessions during the month of October 2019, have focused on indicators of positioning, speed of the players and have been supervised by a team of experts from the University of Victoria in Australia, an entity that collaborates with FIFA on this project.

The measurements were thoroughly done with the help of thirty students from the Barcelona Campus of the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (INEFC). To make them, a 30 x 30-meter quadrilateral was formed on the pitch, with ten cameras on each side, within which the students, with sensors attached to their bodies, made a physical circuit walking, jogging and sprinting, in different directions and with acceleration changes.

The monitoring systems of 13 leading international companies in the tracking sector have been subjected to these tests, including Track160, Catapult, Statsports, and Fitogether. The practical application of this study would be oriented to the analysis of the game for the coaches and the medical teams of the clubs, as well as to extend the quality of the sports broadcasts by providing more information.

The collaboration is being led by the La Liga giants’ Barcelona Innovation Hub, which was formed in 2017 to help incubate innovations that will influence soccer from both a sporting and commercial perspective in the future. It's an initiative that brings together academia, students, start-ups and investors. The aim is to advance FC Barcelona as a technology organization and to share innovations in the field of sports, health and the environment.

Photo Credit: FCBarcelona.com

Barcelona FC said the trials form part of their plans to transform the Nou Camp into a ‘sports experimentation and innovation laboratory,’ with the stadium set to undergo a strong revamp as part of the club’s Espai Barça renovation project. It was also reported in March 2019 that Barcelona FC was looking to raise €100 million to start their own investment fund with a specific focus on trialing new technologies.

FIFA already held similar sessions a few months ago at the Miniestadi. which was home of FC Barcelona’s reserve and female teams until last season. The world governing body FIFA turned the stadium into a testbed for monitoring systems that can collect data during games. Specifically, the trials focused on the positioning and speed of players.

Performing them now at the Camp Nou has allowed researchers to step forward and validate the tracking systems from much larger stands, similar to those in the most important stadiums in the world, and with more variety of spaces to test the radio frequency devices.

“The collaboration is being led by the La Liga giants’ Barcelona Innovation Hub, which was formed in 2017 to help incubate innovations that will influence soccer from both a sporting and commercial perspective in the future. It’s an initiative that brings together academia, students, start-ups and investors. The aim is to advance FC Barcelona as a technology organization and to share innovations in the field of sports, health and the environment.”

— Farai Maringa, FirstTouch Africa

In 2017, it launched the “Barcelona innovation Hub,” and the hub forms part of the “More than a club” mantra at Barcelona, which is viewed as a symbol of Catalonian identity combined with a global brand. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu at the launch of the hub in 2017 explicitly stated that the club intends to add more value to the brand FC Barcelona which is owned by 150 000 members. “We are and we want to keep being more than a club. We had to generate a positive impact on society that goes beyond sport.”

With this new experience, the Barça Innovation Hub keeps the door open to the football and sports technology industry and consolidates the club's facilities as a testing space, with the aim of turning FC Barcelona into the largest sports experimentation and innovation laboratory in the world.

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammates Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Deportivo Alaves at Camp Nou on December 21, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Dec. 20, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

FIFA altered its regulations in 2015 to allow for wearable technology during matches and provided all 32 nations at the last World Cup with access to a tablet-based Electronic Performance and Tracking System (EPTS). FIFA and Barcelona announced in November 2018 that they were teaming up to help clubs around the world better monitor their player data. Together they launched the Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS), which allows clubs to exchange and compare information in a unified and standardized fashion.

EPTS delivered teams with match footage, alongside stats such as player positioning data, passing, pressing, speed and tackles, and was compatible with both camera and wearable-based systems. In the trials at the Camp Nou, the tracking systems of 12 different vendors were tested to determine their suitability.

It is hoped that more effective data tracking will help coaches with match preparation, allow for more effective player treatment, and to provide more insight to broadcasters. The initiative is noble and it will give football a better picture.

Parting word

Barcelona isn’t the only soccer club putting technology at the heart of its strategy as rumors say that Manchester City has partnered with SAP to transform its on and off-pitch operations. In the future, it is inevitable that other big clubs such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-German and Bayern Munich are likely to join this auspicious initiative to give the game of football a major upswing in performance, preparations and the actual play for players.

Soccer clubs, the perfect home ground for brand sponsorship?

Nani of Manchester United in action at the launch of the new adidas Predator Lethal Zones football boot. The boot, designed with five deadly zones for the ultimate ball control and to maximise power and accuracy, was unveiled on May 1, 2012 in Manchester, England. Visit www.adidas.com/football

(April 30, 2012 - Source: Getty Images/Getty Images Europe)

Which soccer fan wouldn't want to wear a Jordan brand to the field to support PSG in the UEFA Champions’ League? Which fashion enthusiast wouldn't want to spend one freaky Friday in Neymar's sneaker collection?

It is no secret that investing in soccer clubs has become the hottest global trend. Multiple organizations, betting companies included, that never used to sponsor soccer are flooding into the field. With the famous basketball based brand, Jordan’s transition from the court to the field, it has become apparent that soccer clubs are the new home ground for brand sponsorship. Every club's success is being pinned on the type of brand they wear, with individual players claiming a greater part of the influence.

History of brand sponsorship in soccer clubs

Various brand sponsorships have either made or broken teams over the years. The most notable sponsorships have undoubtedly been for Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid's pockets. Forbes list of the richest soccer clubs ranked Real Madrid at number 1, Barcelona at number 2 and the Red Devils took the third place in 2019.

It has been said that "When the right club jersey meets the right sponsor, it can result in aesthetic perfection in a football shirt." The perfect football shirt is key to a large fan base and motivation on the field. Now we will explore the relationship between brand sponsorships and some of the biggest clubs in world football.

Paul Pogba of Manchester United celebrates scoring to make it 2-1 with team mate Marcus Rashford during the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on April 13, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom.

(April 12, 2019 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

Manchester United

English football fans have the word SHARP embedded in their memory. The partnership between the appliances company and Manchester United ended in 2000 after 18 happy years together, but the jersey left a huge mark!

At the moment, Manchester United rests at the top of the Premier League when it comes to shirt sponsorship agreements. In a massive deal with General Motors, United are paid a remarkable £47m per season to wear the Chevrolet logo on their kit. The deal is the largest of its kind and runs until the 2021 season.

The Red Devils' revenue also speaks volumes about the weight of their sponsorship. They have managed to stay in the top three Forbes list of richest clubs since 2007. The Red Devils who were holding the lead for the past two years enveloped the top three this year. In 2017-2018, the club lost 8% of their value compared to the previous season. Now Manchester United is valued at $3.81 billion and surpasses its competitors by the amount of operating income in value of $238 million.

FC Barcelona– $779.4 Million

Revenue in 2019: €690.4 Million (£611.6 Million or $779.4 Million)

Previous Revenue: €648.3 Million

Total Valuation: €3.6 Billion

With revenue of €690.4 Million this year, Lionel Messi’s club Barcelona earned the second spot on the Richest Football Clubs 2018/19 list. Sponsorship deals with kit supplier Nike and the shirt sponsor Qatar Airways guaranteed them that position, although they lost to rivals - Real Madrid. In the 2019/20 season, €223 Million was raised through their broadcast rights. An increase in ticket sales also led to the matchday income reaching €144.8 Million. While the £200-million sale of Neymar did not have any impact on the club’s 2019 revenue, it increased a significant amount of the club’s total valuation to €2.98 Billion.

Gareth Bale and Luka Modric of Real Madrid chat during a promotional event by the German carmaker Audi at Carlos Sainz Center on November 4, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. Audi, who are the official Sponsors of Real Madrid, has given each player a new Audi car to promote their brand as part of the sponsorship deal.

(Nov. 3, 2016 - Source: Denis Doyle/Getty Images Europe)

Real Madrid – $847.7 Million

Revenue in 2019: €750.9 Million (£665.2 Million or $847.7 Million)

Previous Revenue: €674.6 Million

Total Valuation: €3.8 Billion

After spending almost six seasons at position 2, Real Madrid leveled up. With total revenue of €750.9 Million this year, Real Madrid currently holds the top spot in the list of Richest Football Clubs in the world.

They earned a total of €315.5 Million through the commercial deals with their jersey sponsor Emirates and kit supplier Adidas. Broadcast rights generated €251.3 Million and ticket sales generated €143.4 Million. The departure of super-costly footballers such as Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to not have diminished the club's glory!

Another notable club sponsorship is that of Arsenal and Adidas. In 2018, Arsenal's 5-year contract with Puma came to a close with Adidas coming in to take over their kit supply. This is an annual £60m deal that guarantees Arsenal the third place in the most lucrative kit deals in football, behind Barcelona’s contract with Nike and Manchester United’s contract with Adidas which are worth £140m-a-year and £75m-a-year respectively.

Arsenal last wore an Adidas strip between 1986 and 1994 during which they lifted two league titles. Nike then sponsored the club for two decades until 2014-15, before losing out to Puma. Arsenal are now in their first year with Adidas as their new kit manufacturer. The relationship has gotten off to a good start with fans already going crazy over the new shirts on social media.

Role of social media in brand sponsorship frequency

"The rise of social media in the professional sports domain can be described as revolutionary" (Larkin, fink and Tail, 2015)

Social media has been used as a flexible way to access fans and customers for soccer clubs and brands respectively. Various social media platforms have offered immediate access to information for soccer fans. Tracking and interacting with your favorite soccer club has become much easier. For companies sponsoring soccer clubs, assessing the fan base and therefore the potential market for their products also became easier. Thus business organizations have had no choice than to be responsive to the huge impact social media has on their brand awareness.

Performance tolerance of fans can be easily accessed through social media, it refers to the level of engagement fans seek with their favorite team in highs and lows. This concept has become a huge influencer of sponsors' decision to invest in a club. In essence, social media allows sponsors to track a club's success on the field, in terms of revenue and influence on their fan base. This allows sponsors to pin their brands on a club they know will raise their brand awareness and offer a guaranteed lucrative partnership. Soccer clubs with a large and resilient fan base like Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid have found themselves in the pool of big sponsorship deals!

Neymar of PSG in action during the Group C match of the UEFA Champions League between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on September 18, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 17, 2018 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)

Is brand sponsorship dependent on success on the field??

"Success means winning trophies. That target and standard has never changed for Manchester United. The progress we have made on the business side underpins the continued investment in the football side" -Ed Woodward, Manchester United Executive

As much as the Red Devils believe in success lying in winning the game not sponsorships, a different view cannot be evaded. We definitely cannot run away from the notion that success on the field and brand sponsorship are two dependent variables.

With Manchester United's recent poor results came a huge depression in their monetary value. The team's failure to qualify for this year's Champions League (Europe's most prestigious club competition) was a major blow. Manchester United then projected its revenues at £560 million to £580million this season. This is their first income reduction in over a decade.

Manchester United also find themselves in the 12th position in the premier league having not won in 11 games and scoring just 7 goals in their last 10 outings. Manchester United have begun to search for a new shirt sponsor due to rising speculations that Chevrolet, the US car brand that is paying $559 million in a seven-year deal for its logo to be emblazoned on the team’s shirts, is highly unlikely to renew the contract when it elapses in 2022.

Can it get worse for Manchester United? Well, it never rains folks, it pours!

United’s knitwear deal with Adidas, worth £750 million over 10 years, contains a penalty clause which states that failure to reach Europe’s top competition for two consecutive seasons will see Manchester United being paid £21 million less for each year outside the tournament.

Fellow fans might just want to look at this as a simple dry spell for Manchester United and not an indicator of their dependency on sponsorship on success in the field. However, Liverpool's story throws our consolation into the dip.

Liverpool’s revenues are set to rise further from the £455 million earned in 2018 after the team won the Champions League last season. Various companies are even taking extraordinary measures for the right to be associated with Liverpool. In September, US sportswear group New Balance began legal action against the European champions in a last-ditch attempt to prevent the club from signing a new shirt manufacturing deal with Nike worth £70 million a year.

"I have seen for many years, in particular, sponsors who are a big part of United’s business; they go after the hot teams. All my clients want to talk about Liverpool because they are top of the league and won the Champions League.” -Tim Crow, an independent sports marketing advisor

So I guess, on-field success does drive off-field success after all. However, Manchester United will likely remain the wealthiest club in England for the foreseeable future. The Red Devils have managed to stay in Forbes' top 3 richest clubs for more than 5 consecutive years already.

“Performance tolerance of fans can be easily accessed through social media, it refers to the level of engagement fans seek with their favorite team in highs and lows. This concept has become a huge influencer of sponsors’ decision to invest in a club. In essence, social media allows sponsors to track a club’s success on the field, in terms of revenue and influence on their fan base. ”

— Lovejoy Tabeth Munamati, FirstTouch Africa

Are individual players the major source of big sponsors??

Okay, so this is the most crucial question: "who draws big sponsors in, the best team player, the fan base or the club as a whole??

 Teamwork is indeed the dream work and for clubs like Manchester United and PSG to be part of "the list" they had to have the best team not just the best team players. A fan base with a high-performance tolerance is closely related to a high brand following. This highly influences a sponsor's decision to invest in a club. However, we cannot deny that "one man can change the world". Manchester United is a great team but Ferguson brought in more sponsors than the team's teamwork can manage now.

"United has come at a time of decline on the pitch, with the club struggling to get to grips with the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era." -Tyrone Marshall

One football finance expert mentioned that United could have been looking at the first £100m-a-season shirt sponsorship deal if they were still enjoying the success of the Ferguson years.

Looking at PSG's new partnership with Jordan, it seems apparent that Neymar was the drive. In 2016; Neymar collaborated with Jordan for a football boot, sneaker, and apparel. His collaboration with Jordan earned him great recognition in street fashion for his sneaker collection. He also earned a huge consumer chain for Jordan from his huge fan base. So when Neymar moved from FC Barcelona to PSG in 2017 the PSG-Jordan collaboration became inevitable.

Mesut Ozil of Arsenal celebrates after he scores his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 21, 2018 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)

Future prospects

It looks like soccer clubs are going to stay in the major lucrative sector for sponsors for a long time. More sponsors that were never part of the field gamble are taking their chances with soccer as well.  The most notable brand is Jordan, which recently started sponsoring PSG. Although Jordan is new to the whole soccer sponsorship field, its entrance has been certified by the most decorated player in the history of the sport, Dani Alves. With the Jordan collection cementing PSG's reputation as street wear’s hottest football club, it is no doubt that they will produce the best on-field gear as well!

The Premier League clubs stand to earn a record £349.1m from shirt sponsorship deals in the coming season, a rise of more than 10% compared to £315.6m in 2018-19 from gambling company sponsorship. As a result, half of the Premier League’s shirts will be emblazoned with a gambling company’s logo during the 2019-20 season.

"Betting’s dominance is even more pronounced in the Championship, where 17 out of 24 club shirts will show a betting logo, meaning 27 of England’s top 44 clubs have agreed to do so." -Rob Davies

"Soccer clubs around the world are welcoming to the myriad of sponsorships.  In the digital world, soccer organizations are looking to sign deals with globally recognized brands, despite the product or purpose of the sponsor. Interested companies looking to sponsor soccer teams are paying large sums of money in hopes that fans will associate their favorite team with a sponsor’s business and thus raise profits". -Scott Phillips

Put aside the 93% of Spanish women following in the footsteps of the USWNT, protests over pay and working conditions are just starting

Patricia Guijarro of FC Barcelona celebrates with her team mates after scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Women's Chamoions League round of 32 2nd leg between FC Barcelona Women and BIIK Kazygurt at the Mini Estadi on September 26, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Sept. 25, 2018 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

The unfortunate state of affairs

Players in Spain’s top-flight women’s league are in talks with the Association of Women's Soccer Clubs after a strike that saw eight games postponed on November 16th. The strike was in protest over the payment structure in the Primeira Division with players demanding a salary revision and better working conditions. Despite being one of the top women’s leagues in the world, players in the league feel that they are receiving the short end of the bargain from the authorities and after a year of failed negotiations, the players finally took decisive action on the matter. The protest is the first of its kind in Spain and an overwhelming 90% of the players from the 16 clubs represented in Primeira Division signed up to take part in the strike. The standoff came to an end after the Association of Women's Soccer Clubs moved to reopen negotiations.

The players have since reduced their demands to about €16,000 as the minimum wage from the initial €20,000. They are also asking for protection in the case that protects their maternity rights, working conditions and an increase in the minimum hours per week from 20 to 40 hours. One major challenge is that many of the players in the league are not considered full-time players and are only employed on a part-time basis which cuts their earnings drastically. This type of situation can be seen all over Europe for example in England, players in the Women’s Super League women earn an average of £18,000 whereas the male players in the English Premier League earn an average of £2.6 million a year leaving some to have to supplement their football careers with jobs to make ends meet. Spain is just the latest to experience the current wave sweeping across women’s football of players demanding fairer working conditions. Football is one of the most unequal sports and for the women playing in the game, their voices can now be heard loudly; “enough is enough, we want a fair system.”

 USWNT: World Champions and women’s rights icons

The fight for better pay by women’s teams is all about fighting the system and demanding more equitable conditions and there is no better representation for this fight than the USWNT. Recently the world watched as the United States won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and immediately took the win as an opportunity to voice their issues in the press and sending a message to the world about the state of women’s football. Many would know of the ongoing dispute between the USWNT and the United States Soccer Federation over an unequal pay structure between the women’s and men's sides that has been playing out for a number of years. USA Women’s football team are champions and heroes off the field for their activism in the face of what they deem to be gender discrimination. In 2016, five players namely Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Rebecca Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo and Alex Morgan also filed a wage discrimination complaint against their employers, the USA Soccer Federation. In March 2019, 28 players signed a class action lawsuit revealing details of perks and benefits that only the male team receive which included private jets and winning bonuses that were substantially higher for the US Men’s team. A big argument for the USWNT is that their record is far more impressive with more games and trophies won that the male team but receive substantially lower salaries and benefits.

“To create a snapshot of the odds against female footballers we can take a look at the fact that Lionel Messi earns more in salaries that the professional women players in the top seven leagues combined.”

— Margaret Mandeya, FirstTouch Africa

 The example that USWNT has set in deciding to battle it out with their employers has undoubtedly caused the issue to be brought to the forefront and has had a cascading impact on the rest of women’s football. Their decision to take the fight to the public has seemingly inspired other players to do the same. Players speaking out on this issue, are actually starting to make a difference. For example, Norway's women’s football team won equal pay in 2017 after the men’s team forfeited some of their benefits. In other cases, the associations and the players settle their disputes outside of court and in private as in the case of the Australian national team which reached a deal where they would be awarded the same pay as the men’s team. The Matildas will also be allowed to travel business class for international travel and a commitment from the national governing body to raise coaching standards. Fighting this battle on the public domain has its benefits and most importantly that fans can see it all play out as is the case of USWNT. Fans have since backed and supported the team in their quest for equal pay chanting, “equal pay” as the players went up to receive their medals during the FIFA World Cup final. USWNT fearless approach in demanding fair compensation has galvanized support for the cause and a growing movement around equal pay in the United States and in the worldwide media. Although the USWNT case was under mediation, the talks stopped after what the federation was unwilling to meet the demands set by the players. Megan Rapinoe the co-captain and most vocal player said, “When [US Soccer] is ready to have a serious conversation about equal pay, I think the conversations will go better."

Megan Rapinoe of the USA celebrates after scoring her team's first goal during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Final match between The United States of America and The Netherlands at Stade de Lyon on July 07, 2019 in Lyon, France.

(July 6, 2019 - Source: 5021154/Getty Images Europe)

Steps being taken by players around the world

In Italy, the Women’s team is still considered amateurs according to law and therefore they are currently allowed to earn up to €33,000 before taxes because of the amateur status a law that is archaic. Football in Italy is not traditionally a woman’s sport and as such there are many barriers for women. Despite this, the Italian women’s team qualified for their first World Cup in 20 years and made it to the quarter-finals. The momentum from their World Cup performance has led to more Italians backing the women’s team. The conditions in Italy still represent a culture that views football as a male sport, however, the perceptions in the country are beginning to shift due to the performance of the women’s team to qualify for the World Cup, whereas the Azzurri failed to qualify for the men’s edition in 2018.

One player who has been vocal about the issue in Italy and who is behind the movement to usher in Italian football into the modern era is Juventus player Barbara Bonansea. She believes that the increase in viewership should correspond with the remuneration for female players; “If there’s more coverage of our games and more sponsors come in, then we deserve more, too.” It is common that the women’s teams which in most cases have better records than the men’s teams do not get rewarded in an equitable manner for their exploits on the field. Taking the issue to the African continent, Africa’s most successful women’s team, Super Falcons have also been vocal in the conversation around unequal payment systems. While participating in tournaments, the men's team receives $10,000 for a win and $5,000 for a draw while the Super Falcons can expect $3,000 and $1,500. The Super Falcons have demonstrated in protest of unpaid allowances. Forward, Desire Oparanozie called for equal pay noting that the teams were just as successful as the men’s; "We are the most successful female team in Africa, yet we have the largest disparities between men's and women's pay," Super Falcons have won 11 AFCON titles and the last three competitions. Progress is being made elsewhere in Nigeria, in Edo State, where the women and men’s teams are going to be paid the same after the authorities saw that paying women less was more of a gender issue than a performance issue. It’s a small win for women’s football in Nigeria and with time, this trend will catch on to the rest of the continent.

Jackie Groenen of the Netherlands kisses the trophy following the Final of the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 between Netherlands v Denmark at FC Twente Stadium on August 6, 2017 in Enschede, Netherlands.

(Aug. 5, 2017 - Source: Maja Hitij/Getty Images Europe)

 What will it really take to achieve equality?

To create a snapshot of the odds against female footballers we can take a look at the fact that Lionel Messi earns more in salaries that the professional women players in the top seven leagues combined. The gap is saddening and reveals a desperate need for change. This is possibly the start of a push back from players on the working conditions and it’s good and welcome progress the sport. As Megan Rapinoe puts it, a paradigm shift and a completely new way of looking at women’s football is necessary if the change is ever to come to the game. Equal pay might still be an ideal today but through the continued work of women in the sport, it could soon be a reality. To achieve equality, we are talking about having to look beyond just beyond revenues that women earn and start making headway on trying to invest in teams and marketing of the sport. The women’s game is a long way to go in terms of receiving as much investment and attention it needs.

Jada Whyman of Western Sydney Wanderers FC and Sam Kerr of Perth Glory speak on stage during the 2018/19 A-League Season Launch at Fox Studios on October 15, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.

(Oct. 14, 2018 - Source: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images AsiaPac)

It’s a system-wide problem, even at the FIFA Women’s World Cup the players received less amount for an appearance fee and the tournament prize is only a fraction of the prize money awarded at the FIFA Men’s World Cup. The prize money for the 2019 FIFA World Cup was $30 million, twice the amount paid in the previous tournament. In 2018 FIFA prizes for the Men’s tournament went up to $400 million, a difference of more than ten times. FIFA has promised to invest half a billion dollars in Women’s game over the next few years. Progress is being made. For example, it increased the number of teams for the world cup to 32 from 24 as a way to boost women’s football and create space for talent. Although FIFA is not in charge of how prize money is distributed in each of the federations, there is room for regulations that allow female players to receive their fair share from the National federations.

Final thoughts

Currently, the male game is more popular and receives resoundingly more attention than the female game. Women’s football is more popular than it has ever been and as such, it is the appropriate time to iron out the issues in the game. Some countries that have reached positive agreements after giving equal pay at the national team level including New Zealand, the Netherlands proving that it is not so difficult to reach an equitable decision. These players are simply asking to be able to play the game as professionals just like in the men. It’s yet to be seen what will come out of the negotiations between the players and the authorities in Spain. The hope is that this strike can be added to the list of wins in women’s football.

Brazilian team culture and the infectious recipe for success

"Fera" Káingang of the ethnic Káingang, in the village Conda, which gives name to the Chapecoense stadium, on December 02, 2016 in Chapeco, Brazil. Players of the Chapecoense were killed in a plane accident in the Colombian mountains. The Arena Conda, a field of the Chapecoense wretched, owes its name to the leader of an indigenous people who incarnated in the past the fierce character of a hobby that in its origins sat literally on a hill. This humble football field was inaugurated on 24 January 1976, three years after the constitution of the team, with only the green grass, without bleachers that would shelter the players, but under the name of a character that marked his future.

(Dec. 1, 2016 - Source: Buda Mendes/Getty Images South America

Colonization: the blessing from the curse

So when the Portuguese colonized Brazil and restricted all cultural practices in a bid to westernize and tie the Brazilians down, they had no idea that they were initiating the Genesis of a chronic and infectious golden football culture.

As soccer was introduced by those who had seen the western ways, the Brazilians began to play it in their own style (dribbling, creativity and speed being their aim, for which the once head coach Dunga was once criticized). The Brazilians used this style of football as their only link to culture which was a soccer and dance fusion that they often referred to as "Ginga (meaning sway)". Generations were born into this and as soccer became a more prominent part of the entertainment world, Brazil moved in with a fresh and unique dribbling style that marked their place in soccer history. Soccer became more than just a game to them; it became an art, a culture, a way of life and a breath of freedom and hope for every kid in the streets of Rio.

Futsal, a game that focuses on embracing the creativity of what Brazilians call "Ginga" and rewards dribbling and explosive movements was the source of the Brazilian soccer players’ mad skills. Pele once referred to Futsal as a sport that made one think, play fast and the transition to soccer easier. The large population of Brazil, competitive rivalries like Argentina and the winning habit also contributed to Brazil's success in soccer. Skills were nurtured at a tender age to produce some of the world's best players, the most notable being Pele "O Rei", (the king) from a poor family in Mina's Gerais.

"It's simple, soccer in Brazil is like karate in China," said Godwin Munamati, a dedicated Zimbabwean soccer fan.

The Seleção has managed to secure a place in people's hearts beyond Brazil not only because of how soccer is part of their culture but their team spirit, persistence, love and appreciation for the Seleção itself, support from their biggest fans (Brazil, the soccer nation itself) has continued to propel them further despite bumps along the way.

Brazil fans cheer prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group A match between Cameroon and Brazil at Estadio Nacional on June 23, 2014 in Brasilia, Brazil.

(June 22, 2014 - Source: Buda Mendes/Getty Images South America)

Teamwork making the dream work

The Seleção has displayed strong team unity on various occasions in and out of the game, on and off the field.

Besides togetherness between the players themselves, the Seleção rallied around a common cause and belief in a higher power. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup after their unexpected win, three players including Lucio and Kaka knelt face down on the field to give thanks to God, followed by an entire team. Several Brazilian players continued with their public display of faith thereafter, like the old saying goes "a family that prays together stays together". When Lucio became captain after the 2006 World Cup defeat, he continued to lead the team through that belief. Lucio always pointed out that life was more than winning and losing, encouraging the team to look beyond every loss,

"Anyone who thinks that he has everything but does not have Jesus doesn't have anything," Lucio once mentioned in an interview, encouraging the team to not let a winning streak of the past or future make them complacent. In addition, an idea of looking at soccer as more than just a game of scoring and whining after every loss was ingrained. It became a religion in which their passion and belief resided, bringing the team together and shielded their bond against the various loses that came and propelled them to a distinct and notable level of their own regardless of wins or losses. Thus Brazil remains the best national team to grace the soccer fields with a combination of humility, faith, creativity and flexibility on the field.

Selflessness and celebration of others' success and appreciation of each member of the Seleção and the Brazilian soccer family as a whole came not only from the players themselves but from the coaches as well. In 2007, coach Dunga focused on de-emphasizing individual players and treated all players as equals no matter how established one was over the other. He gave non-established players from not so popular clubs a chance to join the Seleção, “finding unity in diversity". One of those players was Fabiano who then won top goal scorer in the 2009 FIFA Confederations cup with 5 goals in 5 matches.

Unbeatable? (“a seleção Invicta!”)

The players' passion for the Seleção, the fans' appreciation and positive vibe saw Brazil acquiring five World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002), winning the title two consecutive times and becoming the first nation to win the World Cup title outside of its continent. During the 1978 world cup, in one match the field seemed to have been tempered with, in another match the referee seemed to be biased but Brazil remained the only unbeaten team in the tournament. In 2013 they won the FIFA Confederations Cup with Neymar, Fred and Julio Cesar scooping awards when Luiz Felipe Scolari was back as the team's coach .

"Ginga's Karma"

“Moving away from our perceived “weirdness” that makes us completely distinct we risk losing the essence of success, for success stems from that which makes us distinct.”

— Lovejoy Tabeth Munamati, FirstTouch Africa

Neymar (R) and Ronaldinho of Brazil in action during a Brazil training session at Wembley Stadium at on February 5, 2013 in Wembley, England.

(Feb. 4, 2013 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

Brazil began to suffer a dry spell after their 2002 World Cup win. Despite harboring the finest soccer players, they have failed to win a World Cup title since then. Could this be karma punishing Brazil for trying to adjust to the European formalized way of playing soccer while drifting from their precious "Joga Bonita" (play beautiful) concept of Ginga?

One soccer fan even commented on David Levine's article (the origins of la Joga Bonita), "Europeans invented soccer but Brazilians mastered it”, so in essence moving towards Europe’s formalized football skill could have led to the invasion of the dry spell.

Pele, the legendary Brazilian footballer cried over the same issue, saying he was crying over the loss of Brazilian soccer as he knew it, “I cried watching that game and not just because of the score. I cried because I do not know what happened to the joy of Brazilian football. Maybe this summer in the Olympics and Copa America, we can remind the world of how Brazil plays soccer, but it will not be easy. I fear we have lost our way. There is no ginga”. Pele had won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970 (ESPN) with ginga and he considered Neymar as the only true current ginga player on the squad. Neymar had unfortunately sustained a leg injury at that point. However, the coach at that time was working on bringing the ginga spirit back to the team and the team did begin to regain its stamina with notable Olympic gold medals to its name from 2016.

The movement from the cultural way of playing may have caused a huge drift in the Seleção's team spirit too, leading to questions about their togetherness as a team. “Everybody knows that Brazil has the best players in the world, but do we have the best team in the world? “, the Brazilian sports minister of 1998 once questioned.

A series of failures followed, seeing Brazil becoming the first nation to be eliminated in the first round while holding the World Cup crown in the 1982 World Cup although they were named the greatest team never to win the world cup.

In 2012 they were ranked 11th in the FIFA ranking and this was the first time they were not in the top ten with this position being their lowest since FIFA rankings were introduced.

After the 1-7 semi-final defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup, that saw Felipe Scolari resigning, the fans booed their team off the field with Neymar injured and Thiago Silva serving a one-match suspension. This had to be the Seleção’s biggest and most embarrassing defeat. From 2014 to 2016 Dunga returned as coach but failed to return the team's momento and was sacked

Wayne Rooney of England (L) battles for the ball with Ronaldinho of Brazil during the International friendly between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium on February 6, 2013 in London, England.

(Feb. 5, 2013 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

Never give up (“nunca desistir!”)

After various violent tackles by the Portuguese defenders in the 1966 world cup, Pele had vowed to never play in the World Cup again but he returned in 1970 and they won leading to their squad being named the best ever. The squad consisted of Pele, Captain Carlos Alberto Torres, Jarzinho, Tostao, Gerson and Rivellino.

After going 24 years without winning a World Cup title or even reaching the finals (their best place being third place in 1978) Brazil regained momento and scooped the title in the 1994 and 2002 World cups. After winning the World Cup in 2002, Brazil saw itself suffering another long period of no major titles to date with the exception of their Olympic wins.

However, throughout this dry season which was in turn exacerbated by injuries of major players like Neymar, match suspensions like Thiago's 2014 substitution, coaches resigning and court cases, the fans remained the nation which breathes soccer and the Seleção’s backbone. There were moments when fans felt degraded by the Seleção’s losses and loose hold on their throne but their belief in their winning spirit as the soccer nation and the unity they commanded through soccer refrained them from throwing their love for the Samba Boys into the trash and this kept the team going reminding them that whether they win or lose, they would remain the unique seleção, the heart of soccer, the football nation! o pais do futebol as they would call themselves.

In conclusion, the Brazilian team culture is a vast concept on its own that incorporates the way soccer is indented in their culture with skills that are developed from a tender age. From the way they love and appreciate their national team, to the way they display commendable team spirit and how they never give up but remain proud members of the Seleção even after a trail of miserable and humiliating loses .This has not only created a special place in the hearts of football fans in the soccer nation alone but all over the world, the Seleção’s team culture is infectious and it has propelled them to success in World Cup tournaments and success in capturing people's hearts even when they are losing.

Brazil has become the standard for comparison in African football too,

The Brazil players salute the fans at the end of the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Semi Final match between Brazil and Uruguay at Governador Magalhaes Pinto Estadio Mineirao on June 26, 2013 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

(June 25, 2013 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images South America)

"Brazilians play smart football which is not all about scores, they emphasize on the importance of skill and dribbling rather than scoring like we do here, Brazil nurtures talent, they are simply good, God blessed them like that, being Brazilian and not being good in soccer actually seems like a shame," commented Gledy and Mufaro Sharara.

I also remember growing up, as a girl, interested more in Barbie dolls than football but I knew that Ronaldinho existed nonetheless and apart from his handsome face and long hair, I knew he had amazing skills and we used to watch his dribbling videos all the time. So basically the Seleção infection has been there for a while and its most probably sticking around as African counties are also incorporating soccer skills development in ECD programs.

“I think we have suffered indeed. We lost but that's sport, winning and losing, we did not want to lose this way but at least the team kept going until the end. At 6-0, at 7-0, they kept going. We have families and people that support us, nobody needs to tell us what that means. I am not ashamed to say I was a member of the team which lost 7-1, I am not ashamed, I am proud of my teammates.”- Emotional Neymar's speech at a press conference after he got injured pretty much sums it all... ir selecao ir! (Go Selecao go!)

Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of OGC Nice signals a more competitive Ligue 1 but they are no PSG

Jim Ratcliffe CEO of INEOS meets staff at the Grangemouth plant as the first ship carrying shale gas from the US arrives in the Firth of Forth on September 27, 2016 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The tanker is the first of eight shipping ethane from US shale fields, in a two billion dollar investment by chemical company INEOS.

(Sept. 26, 2016 - Source: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Europe)

Building for the future

Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man, has taken over ownership of Ligue 1 club Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice. Ratcliffe opted to buy Nice after previously being linked to Chelsea and Newcastle and being in talks with the English clubs. The billionaire is also the owner of the Swiss second division side, FC Lausanne-Sport. The purchase of OGC Nice seems like a natural progression from second-tier ownership to a first division team of one of Europe’s biggest leagues.

 OGC Nice will gain the much needed financial injection due to Ratcliffe’s investment. He has fully backed current manager Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal player who took the reins of the club in 2018.  Ratcliffe seems to want to work with Vieira to get Nice, who finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season, to play European football in the next five years.  With the bigger budget, the Aiglons have brought talented young players onboard during the transfer window, namely Kasper Dolberg from (Ajax), Adam Ounas (Napoli), Alexis Claude-Maurice (Lorient) and Stanley Nsoki (PSG) to name a few. 

Ligue 1 attracting money from abroad

Ligue 1 has its fair share of billionaires buying into the franchise and it’s fast becoming a trend for European, American and Middle-East investors to inject their money into the first tier league.  A number of Ligue 1 teams have been taken over by investors from the US or the Gulf in recent years. Although it may be for-profit, more times than not, investing in a football club is a risky investment. Sports teams have a special appeal for billionaires while being able to make them money and also as a fun hobby driven by love for the game. On the business side of sports, the commercialization of media rights is highly lucrative and may drive billionaires to invest more and more into football teams.

 Ligue 1’s appeal as an investment destination is undeniable; the league has been gaining prominence globally with Neymar’s move to PSG in 2016 and the young talent it’s producing like Ivorian midfielder and former Lille player, Nicholas Pepe and Kylian Mbappe. Ratcliffe follows Nasser al-Khelaifi, Qatari businessman and owner of PSG who took over the club in 2011 for €120 million and the Russian billionaire and owner of AS Monaco, Dmitry Rybolovlev who were among the first to pick up on the opportunities in France. Joseph Da Grosa, the American billionaire who bought Girondins de Bordeaux for €75 million euros in 2018 and Olympique de Marseille belongs to another American billionaire, Frank Court who bought the team in 2016.

“In some cases, financial backing does not translate to titles and trophies, case and point Manchester United who spent heavily on buying players but still struggle to make it to the top of the league.  ”

— Margaret Mandeya, FirstTouch Africa

Nice's French midfielder Adrien Tameze (C) celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League football match between OGC Nice vs SV Zulte Waregem on November 23, 2017 at the "Allianz Riviera Stadium" in Nice, southeastern France. / AFP PHOTO / VALERY HACHE

(Nov. 22, 2017 - Source: AFP)

OGC Nice may not necessarily be the next PSG

There is no team, however, that has had as much financial injection as PSG which features among Europe’s elite group of the richest clubs. PSG’s financial backing outweighs most of the Ligue 1 teams causing a disparity that has some of the other owners claiming PSG as having an unfair advantage in their ability to spent big on players and attracting the top talent. Girondins de Bordeaux owner Joseph Da Grosa has called PSG the bullies of Ligue 1. PSG has a big influence in the French top division and is the most decorated club in the league and top earners to having one of the most star-studded squads in the world, featuring players such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva.

Kylian Mbappe was reported to have setback PSG a €180m to sign from to Monaco and Neymar’s move made headlines as PSG paid a staggering €222 million to Barcelona to sign the Brazilian in 2017; double the cost for Ratcliffe to buy a full stake in  OGC Nice. Neymar’s move to Ligue 1 was an obvious show of PSG’s financial might, however, the controversies surrounding a return to Barcelona and injuries have also prevented the team from profiting from his arrival.  Tuchel’s men have won six titles in the last eight years since Nasser al-Khelaifi under Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011 and continues to dominate Ligue 1.

Fabio Cannavaro jokes with Patrick Veira during the Laureus Football Challenge presented by IWC Schaffhausen as part of the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards at the Emirates Palace on February 7, 2011 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

(Feb. 6, 2011 - Source: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images Europe)

Up to this point, teams like OGC Nice have a hard time competing with PSG’s world-class players and overflowing financial backing. PSG will continue to have a financial advantage over fellow Ligue 1 clubs. The scenario is not unlike the financial disparity that happens across the channel in England where the top six teams have a larger endowment than the other clubs in the league or the case of Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. In some cases, financial backing does not translate to titles and trophies, case and point Manchester United who spent heavily on buying players but still struggle to make it to the top of the league. 

Despite committing to developing Cote d’Azur side, Ratcliffe’s strategy shies away from spending on individual players like Ligue 1 counterparts PSG. OGC Nice’s season has been off to a slow start grabbing one point in five matches and lie 15th on Ligue 1 standings.

His commitment

For Jim Ratcliffe and OGC Nice, it is unlikely to be any record-breaking signings as he has already alluded. However, Ratcliffe has goals to make OGC Nice compete in Europe regularly over the next few years. Jim Ractliffe plans to finance OGC Nice in the coming years to improve position in the league, and developing facilities of the club.

What’s the reason for Argentina’s woes and how can they change the narrative?

Rabbit out of the hat

Almost everyone in the Argentine football circles knows about their once "unofficial Godfather," the controversial Julio Grondona, as he is referred to by several media outlets. The man who oversaw the affairs of the Argentine Football Association for something close to 40 years as if it was a monarchy, also having some unpopular influence in FIFA. Counter-intuitively, La Albiceleste's football somewhat thrived during his tenure but was also dying slowly and unnoticeably like a degenerative disease.

It all became apparent at his demise in 2014 when a supposedly democratic election to replace the forefather, raised a middle finger towards the whole of Argentina's football fraternity. It was a rabbit out of the hat moment, less of a lucky redemptive moment but a curse springing out of nowhere. Two candidates, one who preached reform and the other a perceived perpetuation of Grondona's iron fist regime lined up for voting as 75 members of the association went to the polls. A ridiculous and unmathematical 38-38 tie was the result, yes, out of the 75 votes cast, with the latter candidate eventually getting the nod.

Five years later, things have never been the same as far as Argentina's football is concerned.

Beginning of the end

Lionel Messi, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Marcos Rojo, Lucas Biglia, Javier Mascherano, Rodrigo Palacio, Ezequiel Garay and Sergio Aguero of Argentina celebrate defeating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Semi Final match between the Netherlands and Argentina at Arena de Sao Paulo on July 9, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

(July 8, 2014 - Source: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images South America)

The election did hint on the beginning of the end and so did the team's performance on the pitch in the same period, though not obvious to the eye. This was the same 2014 where Lionel Messi led La Albiceleste to the World Cup final against Germany in Brazil. Everyone had been rooting for the talisman to bring home the only prize missing from his illustrious trophy cabinet and indeed, he had put on a show worthy of praise and honor. He, in fact, walked away with the Golden Ball prize, the award for the best player of the tournament, howbeit reluctantly receiving it. He wanted more, their people wanted more, a chance to redeem a nation by winning a first major senior trophy in close to 21 years had been tombstoned by the Germans in the final. To be fair, it was not only Messi who had rearranged highways and landscapes on their way to the final. The whole of the White and Sky-Blues had punched way above their weight and just like the Germans, could have exhausted all their drive and winning mojo in that tournament.

Although they were not the most talented squad, players like Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain were the crème de la crème. As few as they were, their quality did rub on the likes of Marcos Rojo and Sergio Romero, with the whole unit fighting like gladiators, giving even what they didn't have for football and country. It was not just the World Cup, La Albiceleste had phenomenally appeared in 2 of the 3 prior Copa America finals before Brazil 2014. They would then appear in two more finals after 2014, however, they were unlucky not to get their hands on some elusive silverware on all the occasions.

Most or nobody could have known, but that run in which they lost no match in regulation time during the whole of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was a fat lady sings moment, almost the end of an impressive era.

Their 2018 World Cup run was just a symptom

The degeneration became apparent during the 2018 World Cup in Russia where the casual football fans witnessed a shocking performance by the South Americans.

Lionel Messi (L) and Pablo Zabaleta of Argentina look dejected after their 1-0 defeat against Germany in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(July 12, 2014 - Source: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images South America)

The seasoned Jorge Sampaoli who had masterminded Chile's Copa America triumph and done a great job at Sevilla looked way out of his depth at the helm of the White and Sky-Blues. Bizzare tactics and formations that left out key players such as Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria on the bench for the likes of the unheralded and untested Christian Pavon and Maximiliano Meza got everybody talking. Sampaoli himself was crucified on social media to say the least. Of course, he did deserve some of the criticism, but even he was just a symptom and scapegoat of a much rooted and bigger problem. Preparations for the Russia tournament were far from ideal. Sampaoli was even appointed to save Argentina of the bushes of missing out on the World Cup in 48 years after a poor qualifying campaign that was rescued by a Messi hat-trick against Ecuador on the final day. A result that became Sampaoli's only competitive win prior to Russia. Scheduled international friendlies didn't help him thoroughly prepare either with a couple getting cancelled, for instance, the Jerusalem one had poor funding from the federation being a major obstacle (which we will thoroughly explore in the next section). It was during such preparations in March 2018 that Argentina suffered their record-equalling defeat at the hands of Spain, a 6-1 humiliation, which Messi was hardly able to finish as he made his way into the tunnel.

In the end, their 1-1 draw against Iceland, 0-3 loss to Croatia and a last-minute fortuitous 2-1 win over Nigeria that granted them passage into the round-of-16 were all actually not shocking but deserved results. La Albiceleste were eventually knocked out of the round-of-16 by eventual champions France with a 3-4 scoreline.

AFA Shenanigans

In 2019, results have barely improved either. A third-place finish at the 2019 Copa America clouded just how dismal their overall performance had been. An opening 0-2 loss to Columbia, a dull and lucky draw against Paraguay and an eventual win over lowly ranked Qatar were enough to send them through as one of the best 3rd placed teams. Something which shouldn't have been the case for the 2-time world champions. Their governing footballing body, the Argentine Football Association (AFA), has had a lot to do with this, if not everything to do with it. Let's look at only a few of the issues;

Players of Argentina look dejected after losing the Copa America Brazil 2019 group B match between Argentina and Colombia at Arena Fonte Nova on June 15, 2019 in Salvador, Brazil.

(June 14, 2019 - Source: Felipe Oliveira/Getty Images South America)

a. The 2014 Election

Surely without getting any more evidence; the circumstances surrounding the succession outlined in the introduction tells a lot about the cancer of corruption damaging the institution. Corruption itself as a phenomenon basically means more money to people behind the scenes and less towards the development of the game where results are expected. This can even be further evidenced by the following two other concerning issues.

b. Managerial appointments

It's very hard to explain Argentina's recent managerial struggles given just how endowed they are in terms of managerial talent as a nation.

Think Diego Simeone, Mauricio Pochettino, Marcelo Bielsa, Gerardo Martino only to mention but a few. They have a pool of renowned tacticians which has been headlining UEFA Champions and Europa League finals as well as the most competitive domestic leagues in Europe. But who have they appointed instead in recent times, Edgardo Bauza, Jorge Sampaoli and the current caretaker coacher Lionel Scaloni, Sampaoli's assistant who has been barely tested. Maybe the top guys are not just interested in the national team job, but for them not to be, there should be a good reason why. It's fair to assume that such former international players and sons of the soil would be at least patriotic enough to want to help revive their country's football. The former Barcelona manager, for example, Martino quit his role after somehow having only 12 players ready at his disposal heading into the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.

Simply put, AFA actually seems to be holding back in financing top managerial appointments.

c. National team logistics

Many would remember that the Argentinean captain, Lionel Messi once quit the national team. It was immediately after the 2016 Copa America where they lost to Chile in the final. The five-time Balon d'Or winner had himself missed a penalty during the final shoot-out. Messi would then eventually cite poor professionalism and far from ideal logistics by the administrative body as reasons for him quitting. For someone who had given so much over the years and still not managing to help his nation regain major silverware in over 20 years, you would understand the frustration. He was tired especially given the fact that AFA didn't seem to be pulling their own weight. Messi obviously returned to international duty after a presidential and public plea.

More of friendly matches scheduled in the less known parts of the world for financial gains, only if AFA can guarantee the appearances of top players such as Messi and Aguero has also been damaging the team's competitiveness. They are treating their stars as cash cows.

There could be more, but who else wants to continue hearing about such pathetic stunts by Argentina's football governing body.

“Two candidates, one who preached reform and the other a perceived perpetuation of Grondona’s iron fist regime lined up for voting as 75 members of the association went to the polls. A ridiculous and unmathematical 38-38 tie was the result, out of the 75 votes cast, with the latter candidate eventually getting the nod.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Pablo Zabaleta (L) and Lionel Messi of Argentina look on with teammates after being defeated by Germany 1-0 in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(July 12, 2014 - Source: Martin Rose/Getty Images South America)

A drying talent pool

Contrary to popular belief, the current Argentinean squad is not actually very talented and balanced. After mentioning names of aging stars that include Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Icardi, Manuel Lanzini and Lautaro Martinez; the rest of their team members' names are not as glamorous and neither do they have crucial first-team roles at their respective clubs.

Even the above crop of excellent forwards, they are just that, forwards and they all can't play together at once. Take the 26-year-old Juventus forward for instance, Dybala, he has made little impact on the international stage because he is most effective from a position and role undertook by arguably the biggest talent of the century, Lionel Messi. The same can also be said about Lanzini; Icardi, Aguero and Higuain. No wonder coaches like Sampaoli ended up dropping some popular names on the bench.

On the face of it, this may look like karma is residing in Argentinean football right now, perhaps by having mothers give birth to and nurse only forwards in the current generation. Not really. Their current footballing structure is to be blamed for letting this happen. They are no longer as impressive in being a convincing conveyor belt of talent. La Albiceleste won the Under-20 FIFA World Cup in 2001, 2005 and 2007 and of their 20-man 2018 World Cup squad in Russia, seven of those were U20 World Cup winners from 11 or 13 years previously. Now in their last three U20 World Cup squads (2011, 2015, 2017), only two players featured in Russia. Evidence that the pathway to the first team for youth players has become less straight forward.

It is because of that reason that many talented players could be "leaking" from their current system.

Lionel Messi of Argentina football team player arrives to compete in the 2018 World Cup at Zhukovsky airport on June 9, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.

(June 8, 2018 - Source: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images Europe)

Spare the rod on Messi

It's fair enough to argue that the case we have presented so far is enough to exonerate Messi from being the scapegoat of the national team's woes. Punditry commentary such as "he doesn't mark for the ball, he is not a good leader, he doesn't care about his country enough," should be trashed.

If it were not for Messi's stunning free-kicks and late solo goals against the likes of Iran, they wouldn't have made the 2014 World Cup final. Argentina might have not made even the Russia finals if the talisman had not bagged a hatrick against Ecuador in their 3-0victory on the final match-day of the qualifiers. It was only the 32-year-old who scored a competitive goal for Argentina between November 2016 and the commencement of the 2018 World Cup finals. So when he lost his cool against Brazil or Chile in the 2019 Copa America finals, understand he had more than one good enough reason to justify a mere normal human emotional outburst.

To say the criticism on La Albiceleste's all-time leading goal scorer has been unfair, it's a gross understatement. Where can Argentina go from here Their challenges and shortcomings surely seem obvious now, but how do they turn it around? It's simple at least on paper, AFA just has to do the opposite of what they've been doing right now. They should take good care of players on international duty, schedule friendlies that make competitive and not just financial sense, become more international in establishing a clear pathway to the senior team for the youth players, recruit vastly experienced managers amongst many other things.

If their recent 6-1 friendly victory over Ecuador is anything to go by, maybe they've started the rebuilding process with youthful players under Lionel Scolani.

Here is what the gaffer said;

"It was a positive tour. We got what we wanted which was that the kids get some minutes and for them to be able to show that they could be here. I'm excited because of the way they understand what it means to play with this shirt. There are five or six players which are the base of my team. They don't need to play as much anymore because they've shown and have given us so much.

After that you could win or lose because the best team doesn't always win. No one is unbeatable but this is a national team that will be difficult to beat." – Lionel Scolani

Will racism ever end in Serie A?

My joke is better than yours

"I don't see in the Italian league a player like Lukaku in any team, not in AC Milan, Inter, Rome, Lazio. He's one of the strongest and I like him a lot because he's one of the strongest, he's at least twice as strong as (Duvan) Zapata from Atalanta. These players have something more than the others, these are the guys who make the goals and drag the team. If they go one-on-one with you you're dead, you fall to the ground. The only way to out-muscle him is to give him ten bananas to eat." – Luciano Passirani on TopCalcio24

Believe it or not, those were the exact words uttered by a football pundit live on Italian television. Passirani immediately apologized after being probed by the presenter which was however not enough to save his job. In his mind, he was probably heaping due praise on the Belgian international packaged in a "good old joke." Bigger picture wise, those few words go a long way in trying to understand the racism issue in the context of Italian football. Without further ado, let's get it!

Investigating the problem: some fans, players and the leadership

In recent weeks, the word Serie A has become regrettably synonymous with racism. It's perhaps the first thing that most keen followers of football news and events think of at the mention of the word. There is a reason for that. To people and watchdogs outside the Serie A, racism incidents have spiked in recent weeks and months whereas insiders need to be repeatedly pinched before they could wake up and smell that wretched coffee. Put simply, "racism doesn't exist in Italy," so do many insiders and the general fabric of society believes and adheres to; and that is why it's a problem that never seems to go away.

Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale celebrates his goal with his team-mate Romelu Lukaku during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 6, 2019 in Milan, Italy.

(Oct. 5, 2019 - Source: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Europe

It rather continues to evolve in rearing its ugly head. You don't have to take my word for it, let's remind ourselves of how some people within the country and how they’ve explained the phenomenon.

"You have to understand that Italy is not like many other north European countries where racism is a real problem. We understand that it could have seemed racist to you but it is not like that. In Italy we use some 'ways' only to 'help our teams' and to try to make our opponents nervous, not for racism but to mess them up. Please consider this attitude of Italian fans as a form of respect for the fact they are afraid of you for the goals you might score against their teams and not because they hate you or they are racist." – Inter Milan Fan Group, Curva Nord

Number one, that was a statement from the infamous Italian fan group who sought to console their summer signing after monkey chants were directed at him, at Cagliari. Again, they seem to believe it's all simply just good banter. Let's look at another one.

“England identifies the players coming in and, if they are professional, they are allowed to play. Here, on the other hand, let’s say there’s [fictional player] Opti Poba, who has come here, who previously was eating bananas and now is a first-team player for Lazio … In England he has to demonstrate his CV and his pedigree.” – Carlos Tavecchio

So it's not just the fans who have a pretty good "sense of humor." The Italian Football Federation President between 2014-17 was eventually suspended for his comments but got back on the job and later fired. Not for his seeming despicable sense of humor but after Italy failed to make the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, for the first time in 60 years. There are some players as who have reacted questionably in the wake of racism incidents.

Juventus defender, Leonardo Bonucci claimed that the racial abuse experienced by teammate Moise Kean at Cagliari was caused by the teenage forward as much as it was by the group of fans involved, though he later took back his comments after media backlash. “Kean knows that when he scores a goal, he has to focus on celebrating with his teammates. He knows he could have done something differently. There were racist jeers after the goal. Blaise heard it and was angry. I think the blame is 50-50. Moise should not have done that, and the Curva should not have reacted that way.” – Leonardo Bonucci

At least he mentioned they “were racist jeers.”

Sulley Muntari of Pescara react during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and Pescara Calcio at Stadio Sant'Elia on April 30, 2017 in Cagliari, Italy.

(April 29, 2017 - Source: Enrico Locci/Getty Images Europe)

By getting instances where fans, leadership and players were involved, we understand that the issue has hardly been taken seriously, no wonder it seems to only get worse. After all, science and thought leaders have taught us that the first move in solving a problem, remains simply recognition of its existence. That's hardly been the case in Serie A.

Looking back at recent reported racism incidents

How far back in time do these issues and incidents go? Well, as far as time itself goes to the very beginning. In the 21st century alone, the instances are endless. In 2010, when Juventus played out to a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan with the latter earning a precious point that helped them win the Scudetto, Mario Balotelli was chanted at by a section of the Juve fans, "there is no black Italian," they shouted in the stands. So was Samuel Eto'o in 2010, Sulley Muntari in 2017. The former Ghanaian international in fact got a yellow card for complaining that he was hearing odd noises from the stands targeted at him while playing for Pescara again, at Cagliari. He eventually walked off the pitch in protest and got suspended for it. All of Blaise Matuidi, Moise Kean and most recently Lukaku have been reduced to just monkeys playing the soccer ball at Cagliari. Fiorentina's Dalbert was also recently targeted at Atalanta, Kalidou Koulibaly and the lists goes on and on and on like a song nobody wants to hear.

“It’s obviously not just in Europe but all around the world. There could still be a few stones that still need to be turned and in light of how much we have progressed as the human race to stop slavery and many other things, we should be encouraged to do more from where we are. Perhaps the simplest of things all of us can do is firstly recognize a damaging stereotype and then call it out.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus embraces Kalidou Koulibaly of SSC Napoli at the end of the Serie A match between Juventus and SSC Napoli at Allianz Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Turin, Italy.

(Aug. 30, 2019 - Source: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Europe)

The league, players and everyone else’s response

How then have the authorities responded in the face of the seemingly unending scourge of racism that's tainting one of the best leagues in world football.

Not very impressive when it comes to the Serie A, who are responsible for reprimanding or letting loose the alleged perpetrators. The incident at Cagliari where Lukaku was involved for instance, was dismissed because of a "lack of evidence." In other words, the monkey noises weren't substantial enough for a case or they "actually never happened." The Serie A’s disciplinary judge overseeing the case, Gerardo Mastrandrea, even shied away from mentioning the word racism in his verdict. In fact, none of the incidents at Cagliari have ever been punished and we wonder why we see the same thing happening over and over again. Former Newcastle forward, the Senegalese Demba Ba took to social media to explain why he never played in the Serie A, in response to Curva Nord's annoying statement on Lukaku.

"And here's the reason why I decided not to play there when I could... And at that point I wish all the black players would get out of this league! Surely it won't stop their stupidity and hate but at least they won't affect other races." - Demba Ba, Istanbul Basaksehir

Other players such as the 2019 Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year, Megan Rapinoe called upon the football fraternity to take a stand and applauded Manchester City and Napoli players, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly for taking a firm stance and their proactivity in fighting one of society's ugliest beasts.

Anti-discriminatory body, Fare's executive director, Piara Power speaking to the BBC has lamented that "the rot is deep" in Italy and that the "authorities themselves are not fit for purpose." Fare's Eastern Europe Development Officer, Pavel Klymenko added that the problem goes past just the football circles. "This lack of understanding runs very deep. It is not just the ultras, it is the whole system of Italian football and consequently the society."

Other organisations such as KickItOut have also been quite vocal in calling out the Italian authorities and raising an awareness on the issue.

Beyond Italian borders

Yes, Italy may have been rightfully caught in the cross fire but racism also goes beyond the South Western European country's borders. Just recently in Eastern Europe where England thrashed Bulgaria by 6-0 in the Euro 2020 Qualifiers, the match was halted twice under UEFA's new protocol upon hearing monkey chants and seeing Nazi salutes in a section of the home fans directed at English black players, Tyrone Mings and Raheem Sterling. We witnessed almost the same pattern as in Italy with the Bulgarian coach denying that he heard any odd sounds during the match. The country's Primer Minister eventually went hard on the football leadership at the wake of bad publicity, forcing the Football Chief to resign.

Mario Balotelli (R) of Italy celebrates with team-mate Claudio Marchisio after scoring his team's second goal as Philipp Lahm of Germany shows his dejection during the UEFA EURO 2012 semi final match between Germany and Italy at the National Stadium on June 28, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland.

(June 27, 2012 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

England also has had a fair share of its incidents, most recently Chelsea's Tammy Abraham and Aston Villa's Marvelous Nakamba racially abused on social media and during the matches. Perhaps, most telling is how the English FA seem to want to handle further racism cases going forward. Manchester City's Bernando Silva has recently been charged for racially joking with teammate Benjamin Mendy on social media. In their thought process, even simple jokes maintain some of society's undesirable stereotypes.

It's obviously not just in Europe but all around the world. There could still be a few stones that still need to be turned and in light of how much we have progressed as the human race to stop slavery and many other things, we should be encouraged to do more from where we are. Perhaps the simplest of things all of us can do is firstly recognize a damaging stereotype and then call it out.

How much longer?

As far as Italy is concerned, they have been very slow in understanding and combating the racism but there's certainly some hope. For instance, the Italian Football Federation President, Gabriele Gravina has recently spoken of how they are looking into VAR to help identify all perpetrators in the stands and a campaign involving one player from all 20 Serie A sides is being organized by the league. Sustainable results from all these are yet to be seen but the noise from outside, calling out Italy is definitely piling pressure on the inside and might work out for the greater good!

PSL: Can the tides turn for AmaZulu or are they destined for relegation?

After securing just two points in their first five games of the 2019/20 ABSA Premiership Season, the AmaZulu board gave coach Cavin Johnson the sack. Understandable fears for a club who’s no stranger to the chop of relegation. Former Polokwane City mentor, Josef Vukusic has since taken the reins at the Durban club and led them to a first league victory over Cape Town City that lifted them off the foot of the table. Even under the guidance of the Slovakia born coach who led Polokwane to a 5th place finish in the 2018/19 campaign, can AmaZulu fight the “demons” of their mediocre history or a fifth relegation chop from the top division is looming?

“Usuthu themselves have known all too well that, on the wrong side of history and time is where they have frequently operated. They know they are supposed to be a big club and competing with the best there is in South Africa, so what do they do when they don’t find themselves in that position? They wing it, in an unorthodox style.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

image courtesy of Amazulu FC

The pride of the Zulu people

Most football clubs all over the world are formed or named after Metropolitan cities, they themselves tend to possess a history as rich as the cities they are named after and evolve in a strikingly similar fashion. We are talking of the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, the Milan clubs, Olympique Lyonnais, River Plate only to mention but a few.

That’s not AmaZulu. Losely translated, the name itself means “the Zulu people.” First founded in 1932, it has since been largely recognised and appreciated as a source of pride for one of the most distinctive tribes in Southern Africa and the largest in the country. You guessed it, the Zulu tribe. A whole people with a history of dominance and assimilating other clans dating back to the periods where raiding was an economic activity in the Southern-most part of Africa. The infamous Shaka Zulu is an instance of that dominant and howbeit bloody history.

Provided one is a stranger to South African history, they could still understand the weight and pride of a team formed 87 years ago by Zulu migrant workers and had eMbelebeleni, a Royal Kraal as its headquarters. Even the influential King Zwelithini is associated with the club, at least recognised and honoured by a side who bear the name of the tribe he leads. But how much of that history and pride has translated to an equally distinctive identity on the pitch?

Not much is the shortest answer.

image courtesy of Amazulu FC

A yesterday that still influences today

Old and successful clubs around the world have at least one thing in common, they sustain takeovers and reinvent themselves with time. AmaZulu haven’t been the best at this, not even second best. Numerous splits and take-overs back in time ensured the club changed names over 4 times and changed ownership at least 5 times. Different people with dissimilar visions came in and before one had successfully saw his through, change kicked in. Fundamentally, it is for that reason that one of the oldest clubs in South Africa have had to constantly find its identity while becoming an epitome of mediocrity. Their best ever finish in the top flight league since they were renamed to AmaZulu in 2005 has been 7th in the 2017/18 season which became 9th when Ajax Cape Town had their points docked for fielding an eligible player, literally the mediocre of a league boasting of 16 sides. They’ve been relegated 4 times from the division and face an uphill battle of staying alive in the ABSA Premiership after recording just 5 points after 8 games.

Just like wine, clubs are supposed to be bigger and better with age if you would consider the likes of Arsenal, Al Ahly, Orlando Pirates or TP Mazembe but that’s not AmaZulu, it’s like they are stuck on a treadmill or fell flat on their face whilst on it.

Buying PSL status

Usuthu themselves have known all too well that, on the wrong side of history and time is where they have frequently operated. They know they are supposed to be a big club and competing with the best there is in South Africa, so what do they do when they don’t find themselves in that position? They wing it, in an unorthodox style. To date, Usuthu have bought top flight status twice. Firstly, from Dynamos in 2005 when Dr. Patrick Sokhela took over the ownership of the club from from Mr. Sisa Bikisha. After Usuthu were relegated in the 2014/15 season and failed to win back promotion in the 2016/17 campaign, they returned to the top flight by purchasing the status of Thanda Royal Zulu.

This in itself underlies one of the problems in the culture of the club; preferring shorter routes to success rather than systematic and patient building.

Denis Suarez of Manchester City beats the Amazulu defense during the Nelson Mandela Football Invitational match between AmaZulu and Manchester City at Moses Mabhida Stadium on July 18, 2013 in Durban, South Africa.

(July 17, 2013 - Source: Gallo Images/Getty Images Europe)

Ambition assessment

In light of history and even their status now, how ambitious are they really? Very ambitious in my opinion. Just in 2012, when they celebrated their 80th year since formation, they played a friendly match with Premier League side, Manchester United which they narrowly lost 1-0, mingling with the big guys, just as other big teams do. Their fundamental issue possibly remains not the desire or ambition to stay in the top flight or even better, for titles, but how they go about doing it. For the longest time, there hasn’t been real evidence of grassroots work and structures to support such dreams and henceforth they remain castles in the air. Over the years, they have built their house without a proper foundation or had the foundation flipped and switched before the house could stand; no wonder they are where they are right now.

A future they want vs an all too familiar one

As mentioned earlier on, with only 5 points won after 8 matches and sitting not so pretty on 15th position, the fight for survival could get even uglier with rock-bottom Chippa United expected to benefit from the “new manager bounce,” after acquiring the services of Norman Mapeza who led Zimbabwean side, FC Platinum to two consecutive league titles in the past two seasons. Their new gaffer, Vukusic is no stranger to the PSL having led Polokwane City to a 5th place finish last term, but his appointment comes as a mere mercenary like acquisition and is needed to ironically help one of the oldest South African clubs, find their identity.

Should they be relegated, it could be tougher trying to buy another club’s PSL status these days and they will have no choice but to really built sustainably. As of now, they have to build that ship as it sails, still 22 more games to go in the season, a lot can still change.

There is a future they want and ought to have by virtue of their long history and there is that one which has ocassionally followed them, that fight for stability continues.

How can PSG win the UCL and be taken seriously across Europe?

Deja vu for Paris

“Hopefully, the Parisian fans will be able to properly shout, ‘’Ici Ce Paris’’ again. Perhaps with some silver in their mouth, not silver spoons.

”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

With almost no time of the 90 left, Diogo Dalot raced into the Parisians’ box, realised he didn’t have enough space nor opportunity to get a decent effort at goal and just resigned to do the most sensible thing. Hit it anyway in the direction of the opponent’s box, as far away from their goal as possible. As the shot made its way out of the pitch, over Buffon’s goal, it just happened to have brushed through Presnel Kimpembe’s unsuspecting arm. There was nothing obvious in it and if they had been appeals for a penalty, they would have been half-hearted. But as luck would have it for the hosts, the referee pointed to the spot with the aid of his VAR. Much to the delight of the travelling Manchester United faithful and a free-showing of yet another horror movie franchise for PSG.

Tuchel’s men had started the night, 2 precious away goals ahead of the Manchester club who needed at least 3 to have any hope of progressing into the quarter-finals of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League competition. Even worse, United only had a bulk of second string players and youngsters to do the impossible job. It was like the walls of Jericho stuff, where only trumpets and hail Mary’s would be their greatest hope of achieving the intended result. And they got just that, the Paris miracle as it would later be named.

With ice in his veins, Marcus Rashford had stepped up and buried the ball beyond the reach of the vastly experienced Gigi Buffon who is almost twice his age. It became the third of two other fortuitous goals, which eventually saw the Red Devils through to the next round. For PSG, it was just a replay of that infamous night in Barcelona where they surrendered a 4-0 first leg lead to eventually lose 6-5 on aggregate and of course many other cases of being forced to watch their dreams evaporate before their eyes, as far as the champions league is concerned.

The lit flares gave up their glow, rhythmic drums held back their sound and the shirtless Paris fans were left looking for cover. The stadium had suddenly gotten cold. Neymar’s reaction in the stands said it all and yes, they had failed. Yet again from a winning position. It didn’t feel like Paris anymore, their famous mantra, Ici Ce Paris felt could have felt so misplaced.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (C) of PSG speaks to team mates Thiago Silva and Marquinhos during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Bayer Leverkusen at Parc des Princes on March 12, 2014 in Paris, France.

(March 11, 2014 - Source: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images Europe)

THEN

That was one night which pretty much sums up their fortunes in the past decade or so. Always dominant domestically with 6 titles in the past 6 seasons but always falling short when they come up against Europe’s finest. It’s their fortunes that have earned the French Ligue 1 the infamous nickname, “the farmers’ league.” Which basically means non-competitive. But why? How can a team be so good and so bad at the same time? What do they need to do to be taken more seriously across Europe?

Well, there’s no short answer, but let’s get it!

Less than the sum of their parts

Their starting eleven on the Paris miracle day pretty much sums up how fierce they have been over the years. With world cup winner Buffon in goal, Brazilian captain and one of the world’s best centre backs in Thiago Silva marshalling their defensive unit, the unplayable Marco Verrati pulling strings in the midfield and boy wonder Kylian Mbappe leading the line; it’s a solid unit who can take on anyone on their day. That is without even mentioning the likes of Di Maria, Julian Draxler or Neymar and Cavani who were out of the contest. Putting that team against, with all due respect, the young and upcoming Tahith Chong, a past-it Ashley Young, Lukaku, Chris Smalling and the rest; it was a pure mismatch. United had no right whatsoever to win that game, especially after being run over at the Old Trafford just two weeks earlier with an even better side.

That has just been Paris St Germain’s reality for some time now, always looking less than the sum of their parts dating back to the days of the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore. What are the reasons for PSG’s systematic failure in Europe you ask?

Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain looks dejected after conceding the first goal during the Group C match of the UEFA Champions League between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on September 18, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 17, 2018 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

The “Neymar” problem

Since the ownership of the loaded of Arab investors and leadership Nasser Al-Khelaifi, they must have thought to themselves; we want to win the champions league and become Europe’s best and the world’s most revered, how do we do it? Oh we have money, let’s just buy it. But that’s quite not how the strongest sides are built as history has taught us. Yes, you need a bit of stimulus and funds to get things going, but that’s just one part of building an aggressive, relentless and harmonic unit. Neymar’s switch to Paris from Barcelona for a world record fee of around €200m is a classic example and perhaps the tipping point that has loudly taught them and the rest of the world that you just can’t buy it.

Players like Neymar can get you windfalls of revenues in T-shirts, tickets and TV money, but without the proper infrastructure and fabric that makes a team tick, it will all be in vain. It cannot directly translate to resounding on the pitch successes. They tried it with English legend David Beckham, the outspoken Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and even Ronaldinho and many more but with little to show for it every single time. It’s not only the players; hiring coaches and sacking them with a mercenary-like approach has proven unsustainable. You remember Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery and Carlo Ancelotti?

All this and more robs a team of what makes it a team. Ongoing culture, identity and harmony. As they have learned, those stars and managers can win you games but without time, patience and a culture that condemns individual egos; they could never compete with the world’s best, let alone win the champions league. It all breeds apathy, apathy and even more apathy for the highest level of success.

Where do they go from here? Honestly, they seem to be on their way there. Experience is indeed the best teacher not this heartfelt written sermon of mine.

NOW

The next few lines perfectly illustrate what I think they should do and have started to do in order to really have a name amongst Europe’s best. You have to give it to them, they might have learnt their lessons.

Thomas Tuchel Manager of Paris Saint-German actions during training ahead of the International Champions Cup 2018 match between Arsenal v Paris Saint Germain on July 27, 2018 in Singapore.

(July 26, 2018 - Source: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Tuchel, a step in the right direction

Drawing from their history with managers who have failed to deliver at the UEFA Champions League level, it wouldn’t have been wayward to suspect the former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel would get the sack after the Manchester United fiasco. He actually got a new contract until June 2021!. Some reward for a club with history of little patience with managers. Amongst many other things, this was no doubt a step in the positive direction for PSG. Or at least a bit more refreshing to notice they are trying out new strategies. The 42-year-old German is still pretty much in the early stages of his career having really arrived on the big scene after the DFB Pokal success with Borussia Dortmund in 2017, his only major silverware upon joining the Parisians

You would guess that such a manager is very much still hungry for further successes and his tactical astuteness and talents to connect with players almost as peers but being firm at the same time, becomes a bonus to anyone looking to build a culture and lasting team identity. He is in many ways similar to the 2018/19 Champions League winner, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp but different in his own way. Unafraid to say his mind, can blend with the players and with a passion for the game that can be contagious. He seems right for them to say the least and tying him down to a longer contract might be a great move provided he gets even more time. Tuchel might not right away achieve the required level of success but will definitely help built a proper team. He is one for the future.

Moussa Diaby and team mate Timothy Weah of Paris Saint Germain celebrates his goal during the International Champions Cup match between Paris Saint Germain and Clu b de Atletico Madrid at the National Stadium on July 30, 2018 in Singapore.

(July 29, 2018 - Source: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images AsiaPac)

A seemingly new transfer strategy?

PSG have been a bit different in the most recent transfer windows. If that has been the club’s overall new strategy or the Tuchel effect, we are yet to come to a conclusion. One thing is clear, they have not been the first to pounce on the highly rated stars since Neymar and Mbappe. They are seemingly more cognizant of strengthening their weaker areas with just the right personnel, regardless of their name or social following. The acquisition of Idrissa Gana Gueye from Everton in the summer is one such transfer. The Senegalese international has consistently been the Premier League’s best tackler in the past three seasons, has former experience in the Ligue 1 and will definitely add some more steel and personality to their midfield. A solid signing for anyone on any day. Gueye coupled with Leon Paredes’ switch from Zenit Petersburg in January, Pablo Sarabia, Abdou Diallo and Ander Herrera all punctuate that different strategy of going more for substance than just stardom, glitz and glammer.

Even more, Neymar is very much trying to force his way out of Paris and the club seems resigned to that fact. They are just concerned about recouping the money they spent and even the fans as well couldn’t be happier. In their opening 2019/20 Ligue 1 season encounter, a section of the Parisian fans held placards written “Neymar Out.” The wantaway Brazilian has been of good service but came up short in leading the side to some champions league glory. He has been divisive in the past few weeks and the fans have taken notice. Real Madrid’s reported attempt to land the 27-year-old by offering a lump cash sum, Gareth Bale and Modric was unsuccessful by reason of the French’s club disinterest in Bale. They are said to have preferred the teenager Vinicius Junior whom Los Blancos have not been prepared to let go. See, they are not just after big names anymore. They seem to have more purpose and direction.

There is something even more interesting in their apparent new transfer policy. 

Xavi Simmons and the new generation

(L-R) Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al Khelaifi poses alongside new signing Kylian Mbappe at the Parc des Princes on September 6, 2017 in Paris, France. Kylian Mbappe signed a five year contract for 180 Million Euro.

(Sept. 5, 2017 - Source: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images Europe)

They are building for the future. Just a few weeks ago, PSG snapped up Barcelona’s highly rated youth player, the 16-year-old Dutch, Xavi Simmons. A solid prospect who is yet to make a full professional debut for any club but already in the public eye. They also acquired other youth players that include Mitchel Bakker from Ajax. Even at that start of Tuchel’s PSG managerial career, we noticed the young blood from their academy that include Moussa Diaby, Timothy Weah and Christopher Nkunku getting some first team football. Something which has been quite rare in recent times. Their reluctance to sell USMNT’s international, Timothy Weah but rather sending him on loan also reinforces this strategy.

It’s still unclear whether overachievers such as world cup winner, Kylian Mbappe would stay long term to realise the fruits of their visionary labors and approach to go under the radar, build from within but also periodically strengthen problem areas with substance as opposed to just stars. Especially given the fact that Mbappe has previously spoken about “new challenges.” However, if they be really on the path they seem to be on, they could very much be in a position to do without Mbappe if it comes to that, just as proper teams do. They evolve and quickly adapt.

PROBABLE FUTURE

Most of all this sound good and all but the real evidence of change, new found attitudes and prospects can only be extracted on the field of play. We will be keeping tabs with them as the new Ligue 1 season and champions league campaigns kick-off.

Hopefully, the Parisian fans will be able to properly shout, ‘’Ici Ce Paris’’ again. Perhaps with some silver in their mouth, not silver spoons.

To what extent are local football associations determining results by successive pay-dispute rows?

Introduction

Local football associations are the seedbeds for continental talent. Before we meet players at large tournaments like the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup, the conditions that they are subjected to while within their localities actually determine their overall performance. Over the years, several teams have had pay disputes with their national associations. They have refused to board planes and have even threatened to boycott some matches without getting their pay. This article wants to dig deeper into this problem by analysing some of the underlying issues and what the implications of pay disputes are on African football. Before that, we will take a quick look at some countries that have fallen victim to this problem.

“By the time a whole team has agreed to boycott a game, it means the individual frustration that comes with being unpaid has mounted to a team level. Imagine how a group of frustrated players are supposed to train together, take each other’s mistakes and say their chants with high voices and joy. It is almost impossible.”

— Simiso Shabangu, FirstTouch Africa

Cameroon supporters cheer for their team ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations group A football match between Cameroon and Guinea-Bissau at the Stade de l'Amitie Sino-Gabonaise in Libreville on January 18, 2017. / AFP / GABRIEL BOUYS

(Jan. 17, 2017 - Source: AFP)

 Cameroon

Cameroon came 24 hours after the deadline because the Cameroonian Football Federation had delayed to pay their salaries and bonuses. This is in spite of the fact that the tournament regulation stipulates that teams should arrive at the host country at least 5 days before their opening game. In light of that, Cameroon might have to pay a fine for that. Is that irresponsibility? Definitely, not. The team refused to board a plane to Egypt because they demanded their salaries to be doubled for playing in the tournament. This was one of the players’ last technic. They had agreed to only 25% on their salaries and bonuses and even paid for their plane tickets to training camps which were held in Madrid and Doha. Such sacrifices are a testament of how much the players are willing to do for their country if only that would be complemented by efforts from the government.

Nigeria

Nigeria almost missed their 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup campaign after they also refused to fly out of Nigeria without their bonuses being paid. The most daring one and my personal favourite was that of the Super Falcons who decided to stay in their hotels in France and not fly out unless their bonuses are paid. In 2016, they also protested after they won the African Women’s Cup of Nations. It is very hard to understand how a team that has demonstrated consistent excellence is not paid on time. There are countries that would kill to have teams that play like the Nigerian Women’s national team.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe national team did go on the plane but refused to go for training while they were in Egypt as a way to express their grievances against the Zimbabwe Football Federation. They too had not been paid for some time. They also threatened to miss their first game if their accounts were not credited on time. Despite having a talented squad that looked quite promising, the Warriors were eventually eliminated from the group stages.

Where is the problem?

Guinea-Bissau's forward Piqueti advances with the ball past Cameroon's defender Collins Fai before scoring a goal during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations group A football match between Cameroon and Guinea-Bissau at the Stade de l'Amitie Sino-Gabonaise in Libreville on January 18, 2017. / AFP / GABRIEL BOUYS

(Jan. 17, 2017 - Source: AFP)

For countries like Nigeria whose players have continuously done this to prove that this is not a one-time off problem but a challenge that is deeply engraved in the system, problems such as corruption and mismanagement of funds have been cited as some of the major causes for these pay disputes. Even when the money leaves the government coffers intended for the soccer players, for some reason it finds itself in the pockets of government officials who have perhaps not kicked a ball in decades. Corruption is such a rampant problem that has stifled many sectors of African governments. The bigger problem is that some African countries do not generally prioritise sports so much they are not given adequate funding. Private companies come in to sponsor local soccer leagues with the hope that the government will come in to take care of the national team. For example, in South Africa there is the ABSA Premiership and the MTN Super 8 which are sponsored by private companies. Instead, the government will give excuses about more pressing problems that need to be taken care of in the country. What makes things even worse is that some federations would not proactively communicate their challenges ahead of time. Sometimes, well-communicated disappointment is better than unkept promises. Some governments will go all the way to signing contracts with players only to go silent on them when it is time to pay. For example, Cameroon had a presidential decree in 2014 that stipulated that all salaries and bonuses will be paid at the commencement of any tournament. Was it ever upheld though? We told that story already.

Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria reacts after missing a breakaway attempt during the FIFA Women's U-20 Final against Germany at Olympic Stadium on August 24, 2014 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

(Aug. 23, 2014 - Source: Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

Setting a precedent

Under no circumstances is it ever justifiable for anybody to work with no compensation, but why is it important for governments to set the right precedent for national teams? Firstly, the amount of effort it takes to get into the national team just deserves the rightful amount of compensation. Most of the players that make it to the national teams are their local teams’ star players and some have become so good that they have been outsourced by teams outside of their countries. The saturation of unquestionable talent in most national teams across Africa should prompt governments to do the right thing.

 Sports has become the escape route from social ills for most African youths. In a continent with high unemployment rates and pressure to engage in crime and corruption, sports is the unifying factor for young people that helps them evade these things. Beyond the fitness benefits that soccer comes with, it is also a sport that requires dedication, discipline and focus. Playing at the highest level of this taxing soccer journey should be rewarded profusely so that other young people can be motivated to continue working hard. If you cannot give African youth jobs, then at least give them the motivation to work hard on something.

Impact on performances

We have already established that the ability to win a game is not just determined by the talent and skills displayed on the field. It is also determined by the players’ emotional and mental wellbeing. Compensation gives one the motivation and aspiration to do more. In the absence of that, the opposite can also be true. It is not a shock that Cameroon went into AFCON 2019 as champions but barely made it far in the tournament. They were eliminated by Nigeria at the round-of-16 stage.

Team Germany poses for a photo with the championship trophy and their gold medals during the FIFA Women's U-20 Final at Olympic Stadium on August 24, 2014 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Germany defeated Nigeria 1-0 in overtime.

(Aug. 23, 2014 - Source: Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

 It also destroys team morale. By the time a whole team has agreed to boycott a game, it means the individual frustration that comes with being unpaid has mounted to a team level. Imagine how a group of frustrated players are supposed to train together, take each other’s mistakes and say their chants with high voices and joy. It is almost impossible. There is only so much that a good coach can do for them when they are not intrinsically motivated.

 Conclusion

Before we blame players for not being focused or not training hard enough, it is important that we look at issues such as pay disputes that affect how much they can bring to the field. It has also transpired that the problem is with internal systems that do not prioritise or facilitate the timely payment for the players. Sadly, national teams which are meant to be countries’ pride are then not able to perform to their best levels due to factors that could be avoided. The lack of transparency also does not make it any better.

 With all that said, do you think teams are actually justified in boycotting matches and tournaments in order to get the attention of their governments?

Is VAR a superhero or a villain in the future of global football?

VAR has come under scrutiny once more after a series of controversial decisions made using the instant replay system during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.  FIFA introduced virtual assistant refereeing technology on the global football stage in the 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup in Brazil. It has received significant push back from football fans who argue that VAR will disrupt the game as it has come to be loved. Much of the same argument still exists. The position of VAR skeptics is that an increased focus on accuracy would take away the flair and free play. The relevance of VAR has been brought into question even further this year. VAR dominated headlines in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup after players and coaches raised fresh criticism about its relevance to global football.

“The statistics still show VAR improved the decision-making accuracy in the group stages to 98% as compared to 92.5% without it. Human error in football has always been frustrating given the fact that once the referee makes a call, whether right or wrong; there was no way to check in real-time.  ”

— Margaret Mandeya, FirstTouch Africa

Alex Morgan of the USA is fouled by Stefanie Van der Gragt of the Netherlands leading to a penalty during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Final match between The United States of America and The Netherlands at Stade de Lyon on July 07, 2019 in Lyon, France.

(July 6, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

VAR controversy at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup  

FIFA's decision to approve the use of VAR at the tournament came in March, just three months before the start of the competition. The timing of the VAR was the major challenge, with some coaches and pundits calling out FIFA for using the Women's World Cup as a testing ground for VAR. Cameroon's Indomitable Lionesses had a passionate protest during their round-of-16, 3-0 loss to England. Specifically, after feeling hard done by, the Cameroonians proceeded to stop play for minutes, refusing to continue the game in protest of the VAR decisions. Ellen White's second goal of the match was firstly ruled as offside and later allowed after VAR consultation. The same way that the Indomitable Lionesses felt that VAR had robbed them of their chances; other teams also faced a similar fate to the Cameroonians.

Among the other teams that had a bone to pick with the VAR system, was Scotland.  In the group stages of the tournament, Argentina came back from a 3-0 loss against Scotland to draw, 3-3. In stoppage time, a late infringement led to a VAR penalty decision which was initially saved by the Scottish goalkeeper. In a shocking twist, the referee ruled that the goalkeeper moved from the line before Argentina took the penalty shot and after consulting VAR, the penalty was retaken. Nigeria was too a victim of the penalty retake after France had missed the penalty, it was judged with VAR that the Nigerian goalie had moved off the line before the kick. 

Previously, such minor infringements would have gone unnoticed, but VAR is making the enforcement of the rules of the game much stricter. While everyone would agree that the rules should be observed for fair play, some do feel that football is becoming too rigid and too technical. 

Part of the debate around the FIFA Women's World Cup was around the new rule that was responsible for dashing the dreams of both Scotland and Argentina. The new rules from the International Football Board say that a goalkeeper must always have one foot on the line during a penalty kick as opposed to the previous rule of two feet.

The big screen inside the staduim informs fans of a VAR review in consideration, after referee Milorad Mazic awards Senegal a penalty, which he then rescinds after looking at the VAR footage during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group H match between Senegal and Colombia at Samara Arena on June 28, 2018 in Samara, Russia.

(June 27, 2018 - Source: Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe)

Do we even need VAR?

VAR is not detached from traditional refereeing —it's a sidekick to the match official, and it's not an either-or situation. Referees still have the last call in deciding whether an infringement has been made. Having video-assisted refereeing has overall reduced the number of incorrect calls and improved the accuracy of referees. The statistics still show VAR improved the decision-making accuracy in the group stages to 98% as compared to 92.5% without it. Human error in football has always been frustrating given the fact that once the referee makes a call, whether right or wrong; there was no way to check in real-time. 

A positive aspect of VAR is that it increases the transparency of the calls made by referees. They are countless allegations of dubious referees being caught in the thick of match fixing scandals that have rocked the footballing world and made us question the authenticity of the entire system. These referees were often part of a large scheme of match-fixers and betting mafias. When these ​match-fixing scandals​ come to the public's attention, it has always triggered a discussion around solutions to prevent such callous disregard of ethics by match officials. VAR can bring accountability, which has sometimes been lacking in football.  Before VAR, it was easy for referees to make dubious calls as a referee, VAR makes it more challenging to hide blatant match-fixing attempts. 

Colombia players confront referee Milorad Mazic after he awards Senegal a penalty before rescinding the decision after reviewing VAR footage during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group H match between Senegal and Colombia at Samara Arena on June 28, 2018 in Samara, Russia.

(June 27, 2018 - Source: Stu Forster/Getty Images Europe)

While the coming of VAR was quite a noble effort by the football governing bodies, the interpretation of "match-changing situations" needs to be given more attention. Referees have lost the autonomy to make decisions without leaning on the VAR to confirm each decision, leading to longer and slower games. I would argue that the biggest flaw of VAR is that it slows down the pace of the game. Games are now featuring more abrupt 2 minutes, even up to 4 minutes stop to allow the referee to review the VAR footage. Before VAR, it was rare to see a game stop as many times as has become common. Ultimately, increase in stoppage time has increased the average length of matches. In the 2018 Men's World Cup, the average stoppage time increased from 5.4 minutes to 6.4 minutes.

VAR going forward

The success of VAR depends on making some critical changes to how it's used. The Premier League will use VAR for the first time in the 2019/20 season. The Football Association has been paying close attention to the controversies surrounding VAR at the Women's World Cup in preparing for the launch of VAR in the 2019-2020 season. One thing that has come up in how the FA would like to do things differently to how we've seen VAR in previous tournaments is to reduce its interference and apply it more consistently in accordance with the laid out rules.

Despite the controversies, I would argue that VAR should stay. Fair play is becoming more of a reality owing to VAR. The FA has correctly defined the guidelines for the part that VAR will play in the Premier League. FIFA must reanalyze the interaction with VAR globally which would allow for more seamless consultations.

2019 WWC Review: After all the African teams failed to make it past the Round of 16, What’s next for the game in Africa?

With the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup now in the books, it's time to reflect on what an amazing month of soccer it was, precisely for Africa. This year’s World Cup, saw two of Africa’s three representatives reaching the round of 16. Below we breakdown the happenings of the tournament with a focused attention on the African teams; Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa as well as the future of the sport on the continent moving forward.

“Further to this, according to Yasmine Arkoub, co-founder of sports consulting firm, Melting Sports, there are also plans to launch an African Women’s Champions League. Additionally, former Nigerian player Yusuf-Aromire has also launched the SheFootball Initiative to encourage young Nigerian girls to get on the pitch.”

— Siphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

Claudia Goette of Leverkusen challenges Amanda Dlamini of South Africa during the women's friendly match between South Africa and Bayer Leverkusen at Sport School Hennef on July 12, 2012 in Recklinghausen, Germany.

(July 11, 2012 - Source: Christof Koepsel/Getty Images Europe)

AFRICA’S 2019 WORLD CUP EXPLOITS SUMMARISED

Nigeria

Nearly knocked out of the group stages as a result of a controversial VAR decision, the Nigerian Super Falcons had a decent world cup performance as they managed to reach the round of 16. While they were knocked out by two time champions, Germany, the West African team did meet their primary objective of at least qualifying for the knockout stages. Thus, the team will look to build on from this in preparation for future tournaments and ultimately the 2023 World Cup. What is more, coach Thomas Dennerby looks to have unearthed some young players who could be long term foundations of the squad.

Cameroon

Cameroon qualified for the round of 16 after beating New Zealand 2-1 in their final group match. A big letdown for the Cameroonians was their failure to be clinical in front of goal throughout the tournament. The Indomitable Lionesses were very creative and threatening going forward but a bit less cohesive defensively. In their last time out, Cameroon lost 3-0 to England in a match that was characterised by intense physicality and various controversial VAR decisions. One may not be faulted for believing that the less sportive behavior displayed by the Cameroon team during their match against England marred their never say die attitude which had helped them reach the round of 16. The players refused to restart the game after England had scored a goal awarded by a controversial VAR decision, causing a conundrum on the field of play in an unbearable sight for football fans.

South Africa

To whom much is given much is expected, says an old adage. After a stellar showing at the 2018 Women’s AFCON tournament last year where they reached the finals, much was expected from the South African women’s team. The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was Banyana Banyana’s first ever appearance at that stage. The team lost all three matches though they did manage to salvage some pride by scoring a consolation goal courtesy of star player Thembi Kgatlana in their 3-1 loss against Spain. Nevertheless, perhaps some positives can be taken from Banyana’s world cup journey. Their ability to reach the tournament for the first time is something not to be taken lightly. Furthermore, the team has been able to blend in experience and youth that has come up the ranks, and as such, by the time the next world cup tournament arrives, a majority of the team’s youngsters would have reached their peak and will be ready to be more competitive.

Cameroon line up during the Women's Football first round Group E Match of the London 2012 Olympic Games between Cameroon and Brazil at Millennium Stadium on July 25, 2012 in Cardiff, Wales.

(July 24, 2012 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)

THERE ARE OTHERS

While the above teams have exerted their place as the leading women’s football nations from the continent, there are other teams that are closely behind them that may rise in the near future. These include Mali, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Mighty Warriors were the first Zimbabwean national football team to make it to a global event after qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Previously, Zimbabwe had qualified for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations three times and their best performance was a fourth place finish at the 2000 edition held in Nigeria. Moreover, the upcoming COSAFA Cup will be an opportunity for the Mighty Warriors to redeem themselves and show their competence especially after failing to book a place at the Africa Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON) last year.

SOME CHALLENGES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE WOMEN’S GAME

It must be pointed out that African national teams (both women and men) still have a long way to go if they are to succeed in major tournaments such as the Men and Women’s FIFA World Cup. Prominent even today, stories of pay disputes between players and the football governing body remain poisonous to the development of the sport and if left unaddressed, will continue to be a problem. Such disputes have reared their ugly heads as a result of the corruption and general mismanagement that plagues high-level football across Africa. Despite being home to large throngs of football lovers and also some of the world’s best players, football federations across the continent are engulfed by cancerous maladministration which creates a lot of problems that ultimately force players to take extreme measures in an effort to get their payments. Noteworthy examples that come to mind include the issues faced by the Nigerian women’s team after beating Cameroon 5-0 to win the AWCON back in 2004. The Nigerian federation refused to pay players their bonuses and pending allowances as the federation claimed there was no money. The players eventually got their dues after continued pressure from both players and the media. Fast forward to 2019, the same issue arose at the end of their world cup journey.  It was reported that the Super Falcons refused to return home unless they were paid. Therefore, the absence of proper structures to deal with such problems will continue to result in unrest and lack of optimal performances from national team players.

Renata Costa of Brazil scores a header during the Women's Football first round Group E Match of the London 2012 Olympic Games between Cameroon and Brazil at Millennium Stadium on July 25, 2012 in Cardiff, Wales.

(July 24, 2012 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)

A GLOBAL VIEW

In the same vein, another predominant issue not only in African women’s football but globally as well, has been the issue of unequal pay between the men’s and the women’s teams. It was reported that Banyana Banyana, South Africa women’s team, were paid 10 times less than Bafana Bafana, the men’s team. As such, this damning discovery resulted in the South African Football Association (SAFA) taking action to rectify this. To this end, in May 2019, SAFA increased Banyana's pay and made it equivalent to their male counterparts in a move that was welcomed by many South African football lovers. It was also reported that Nigeria too, has recently taken steps to correct the wage disparity between male and female players. The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) told CNN it conducted a pay review in 2017 resulting in basic match bonuses for the Super Falcons being raised to $3,000 per player, while the basic bonus for the men's team was reduced from $10,000 to $5,000 per player. According to Samuel Ahmadu, a member of the women's committee for the NFF, the enormous pay gap in the African game can partly be attributed to poor handling of female football teams by their sports associations.

INFRASTRUCTURE & REASONS TO BE HOPEFUL

Despite the difficulties faced by many female players on the continent, there are signs of hope for the women's game. The Confederation of African Football (CAF), has been making bold steps towards investing in women's football. In 2018, the CAF President in a speech at the CAF women's football symposium alluded that the organization would prioritize women's competitions and support local federations in managing women's teams. Further to this, according to Yasmine Arkoub, co-founder of sports consulting firm, Melting Sports, there are also plans to launch an African Women's Champions League. Additionally, former Nigerian player Yusuf-Aromire has also launched the SheFootball Initiative to encourage young Nigerian girls to get on the pitch. The Super Falcons legend offers training for girls and provides football kits for those who can't afford them. "There are a million girls out there who want to play football but are not being encouraged. They just need the support and access to opportunities," she said.

Worth noting is that many African players have been travelling overseas in search for better opportunities to develop their football talents and advance their careers, yet the national teams have found themselves unable to shine on the global stage and many nations are still without a professional league. It is said that out of the 54 national associations in Africa, 25 countries currently have a women’s league with only four boasting well-organized and quality competitions, namely Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and South Africa. As a result, the insignificant number of leagues on the continent hinders many players’ abilities to compete at the highest level consistently, both at national and club level.

“Fast forward to 2019, the same issue arose at the end of their world cup journey.  It was reported that the Super Falcons refused to return home unless they were paid. Therefore, the absence of proper structures to deal with such problems will continue to result in unrest and lack of optimal performances from national team players.”

— Siphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

Asisat Oshoala #8 of Nigeria reacts after scoring the second goal against Sweden during the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 Group D match between Sweden and Nigeria at Winnipeg Stadium on June 8, 2015 in Winnipeg, Canada.

(June 7, 2015 - Source: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

Considering all else, there is a long way to go for African football, and the following are some of the action points that I believe need to be addressed by relevant stakeholders in order to improve the sport. Firstly, football associations should make it a priority to source for more sustainable sponsorship for national women’s leagues. This will help in not only having enough prize money for the leagues, but it will also help in attracting local players to remain in the continent as a result of increased competitiveness in the domestic leagues, as well as increasing awareness and abolishing stigma surrounding women’s football which can ultimately draw more sponsors. Additionally, more partnerships between countries should be formed to fast-track the development of players. For instance, one notable initiative in this regard has been the partnership between SAFA and the Spanish La Liga which has seen the League commit to sponsoring the South African Under-17 women’s national team’s (Bantwana) trip to Spain to play two important friendly matches against select sides from La Liga’s national women’s league. SAFA’s representative remarked, “we have received balls to give to our provinces from La Liga, they have sent us La Liga qualified coaches to train our local coaches and have been heavily involved in initiatives with our regions and provinces to develop the sport at grassroots level.”

More of such partnerships are needed across the continent if women’s football in Africa is to rise to the level it belongs.

The recurring and disturbing horror of footballers’ relatives kidnapped for ransom

“A footballer’s salary is often an upwards of 5 figures every week, added to it, the fact that their earnings are made public, they will continue to be at risk of being victims of thieves and criminals. ”

— Margaret Mandeya, FirstTouch Africa

It’s difficult to imagine the horror of receiving a phone call from home informing you that your loved one has been kidnapped while you are halfway across the world. This is fast becoming the reality for some of Nigeria’s most prominent footballers. The latest case in a series of organised kidnappings of the relatives of Nigerian players is that of Bordeaux winger, Samuel Kalu’s mother.

Kalu’s mother was abducted on the 27th of February in Abia and released after 6 days. Ozuruonye Juliet Kalu’s gun-wielding kidnappers ambushed her whilst she was driving home and demanded a ransom of USD 138,000 when they found out about her son’s professional footballer status. The 21-year-old who joined Bordeaux in August 2018, on a five-year contract with the Ligue 1 team paid the ransom to ensure the safe return of his mother.

Joseph Yobo of Nigeria is dejected after the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Group B match between Greece and Nigeria at the Free State Stadium on June 17, 2010 in Mangaung/Bloemfontein, South Africa.

(June 16, 2010 - Source: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe)

Abia State Police have announced that investigations are being made to identify the kidnappers and bring them to justice. Sadly, kidnappings are becoming more frequent in Nigeria and the phenomenon has spread more than can be accidental. John Mikel Obi’s father has been the victim of kidnapping twice. The first incident occurred in 2011 after which he was released safely from his captures. In June 2018, in what can only be described as a nightmare, Mr Michael Obi was kidnapped for the second time in seven years.

The Nigerian captain received the news of his father’s abduction moments before the Super Eagles faced Argentina in the group stages in Russia, during the 2018 World Cup, news he said he kept from his teammates. Fortunately, Mikel Obi’s father was rescued by the Enugu State Police during which the police and the kidnappers engaged in a gun battle.

Former Everton player, Joseph Yobo's brother was kidnapped by gunmen in July 2008 and was released two weeks later. It turned out that the people who had organised the abduction of Norum Yobo were close family friends. According to Yobo, the ordeal was frightening. He stated in a 2009 interview, "I was terrified the police would get involved. I had to make them understand that sometimes you have to let other people deal with it another way.”

Reports suggest that kidnapping is a big business in Nigeria with some prominent politicians and businessmen involved in ransom kidnappings. Wealthy people are a target for these kidnapping rings and football players are at great risk of having their family members abducted because of their financial capabilities. The problem is very big and the kidnappings of  famous football players’ family members are bringing attention to the extent of this crisis. The police have been trying to crack down on the kidnapping rings in the country and particularly in the southern part of Nigeria but the people behind these activities are still at large.

A footballer’s salary is often an upwards of 5 figures every week, added to it, the fact that their earnings are made public, they will continue to be at risk of being victims of thieves and criminals.

Samuel Kalu who is currently injured will miss Nigeria’s two matches against Seychelles and Egypt. He is set to be replaced by Ikouwen Udoh when the Super Eagles take on Seychelles in an African Cup of Nations qualifier and a friendly against Egypt in Abasa on the 22nd and 26th of March.