tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/fc-barcelona-8624/articlesFC Barcelona – The Conversation2021-08-11T15:10:15Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1659822021-08-11T15:10:15Z2021-08-11T15:10:15ZLionel Messi: why his arrival in Paris is a key part of Qatar’s game plan<p>Lionel Messi’s <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/lionel-messi-in-tears-as-he-confirms-hes-leaving-barcelona-12376385">emotional</a> though <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11833/12373952/lionel-messi-agrees-to-join-paris-saint-germain-on-two-year-contract-after-leaving-barcelona">lucrative</a> move to Paris Saint-Germain is now complete. After scoring <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/lionel-messi-barcelona-goals-record-b1897701.html">672 goals for Barcelona</a>, the football world eagerly awaits what he can bring to the French league.</p>
<p>His new club’s owners, meanwhile, will be looking slightly further ahead, with a focus on 2022. Since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) first <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/14393012">bought a majority stake</a> in Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2011, they have spent <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-ie/lists/how-much-have-psg-spent-on-transfers-since-qatar-takeover/hz1zvwykh4mv11vep6qdtygex">large amounts of money</a> seeking domestic dominance and European success. </p>
<p>The former has since become routine — save for an upset last season, when they were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/23/european-roundup-lille-win-at-angers-to-seal-first-ligue-1-title-in-10-years">runners up to Lille</a>. But the Uefa Champions League trophy has so far proved elusive.</p>
<p>Messi’s arrival brings a sense that the coming season is crunch time. Having already signed the likes of Italian goalkeeper (and Euro 2020 winner) <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57390443">Gianluigi Donnarumma</a> from AC Milan, and former Real Madrid defender <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11820/12351017/sergio-ramos-paris-saint-germain-sign-former-real-madrid-captain-on-two-year-deal">Sergio Ramos</a>, anything short of lifting the Champions League trophy next May will widely be considered a failure.</p>
<p>If they do manage to win it, the symbolism of such a victory will be striking, as just five months later the small Gulf state will play host to the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022">2022 Fifa World Cup</a>. It would be quite a year for Qatar and its investments in football, which will be seen as a big win off the pitch as well as on it. </p>
<p>For ever since 1971, when Qatar <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Qatar/History">ceased to be a British protectorate</a>, the country’s ruling family has been working out how best to use its wealth of natural resources. Faced with the need to diversify its economy away from a dependence on gas and oil, in 2008 the country launched its <a href="https://www.gco.gov.qa/en/about-qatar/national-vision2030/">2030 national vision</a>.</p>
<p>The aim was to “transform Qatar into an advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development”. This gave rise to a development strategy of which sport and football are important elements. </p>
<p>Staging the World Cup is as much about promoting infrastructural development and long-term tourism as it is a four-week tournament. Acquiring PSG also became part of the plan – it makes money and extends Qatari influence across the world.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-world-cup-in-qatar-in-winter-it-might-not-be-all-bad-38005">The World Cup in Qatar, in winter – it might not be all bad</a>
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<p>This means that, rather than being the main event, Lionel Messi is essentially incidental to the broader ambitions of Qatar. That said, the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/11/messi-psg-president-says-world-will-be-shocked-by-revenues.html">shirt sales, sponsorships and other commercial deals</a> the Argentinian helps to secure will still count as important revenue streams.</p>
<p>Yet Qatar is not simply in the business of national strategic development, it also retains grand political ambitions. Indeed, its government is not afraid to use football as the means to achieving other political ends, of which PSG’s signing of Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Neymar is a prime example.</p>
<h2>Scoring opportunity</h2>
<p>Qatar used that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/01/neymar-transfer-barcelona-soft-power-asian-governments">record breaking £198 million deal</a> in 2017 to show the world (and its immediate neighbours, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) its financial muscle and independence. It also symbolised how the government in Doha sees football as part of its soft power armoury, a way of engaging global audiences intrigued by the signing of football’s best talent.</p>
<p>Some will view Lionel Messi signing for PSG in the same way. His expected contribution to the club’s success will ensure that Qatar’s projection of soft power continues, while the status, image and reputation of “brand Qatar” are further burnished.</p>
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<p>Even so, there is already debate about how PSG appear able to stay one step ahead of Uefa’s financial fair-play regulations. Yet here, too, the political and economic planning and power of Qatar is evident. QSI’s chairman and PSG’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is also <a href="https://www.ecaeurope.com/about-eca/structure/executive-board/nasser-al-khelaifi/">chairman of the European Club’s Association</a>, a position which gives him a place on <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/psgs-al-khelaifi-re-elected-to-uefa-executive-committee-rebuffs-super-league-and-mbappe-to-real-rumors/">Uefa’s Executive Council</a>.</p>
<p>Al-Khelaifi is therefore someone who knows how to navigate a world of crunching tackles, most notably in ensuring that PSG remains onside with Uefa’s rules. He’s also <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/en/sports/20210420-psg-president-al-khelaifi-takes-uefa-s-side-in-war-over-european-super-league-football-sport">a man who stood by Uefa</a> during the Super League debacle, as he refused to ally PSG with <a href="https://www.marca.com/en/football/ligue-1/2021/05/30/60b3b921e2704e6b878b4568.html">its European rivals</a>, another soft power win for Doha. </p>
<p>As we approach 2022, Al-Khelaifi will stand alongside Messi and the World Cup in Qatar’s starting line-up. But while Messi’s move to France has grabbed the spotlight, for once he is not the main event. The government in Doha wants 2022 to be all about Qatar, and the Argentinian has been enlisted to play his part in their highly tactical game plan.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165982/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Chadwick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s all about winning in 2022.Simon Chadwick, Global Professor of Eurasian Sport | Director of Eurasian Sport, EM Lyon Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1593162021-04-20T12:35:52Z2021-04-20T12:35:52ZThe ups and downs of European soccer are part of its culture – moving to a US-style ‘closed’ Super League would destroy that<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395883/original/file-20210419-15-7mlgt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=185%2C0%2C1911%2C1072&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Super League plans have fans screaming into the void, like soccer star Lionel Messi here.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/barcelonas-argentinian-forward-lionel-messi-reacts-during-news-photo/125614181?adppopup=true">Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A dozen of the world’s biggest soccer clubs – including Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool FC – announced on April 18, 2021, that they are forming a new European super league, underwritten by a reported <a href="https://apnews.com/article/uefa-could-ban-super-league-players-euro-2020-world-cup-749ce4257b0f9a17b3fc34d60cccd00c">US$5.5 billion in funding from banking giant</a> J.P. Morgan Chase. The competition – membership in which is expected to expand to 20 teams – would supersede the <a href="https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/">UEFA Champions League</a>, which is the competition in which these top-tier teams usually compete.</p>
<p>The clubs have two motives for creating this breakaway league. First, the proposal would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/explainer-how-will-the-new-european-super-league-work">significantly increase the number of games played among big clubs</a> from different countries. This would likely attract huge global audiences and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56800611">significantly increase revenues</a> – to be split among the member clubs. Second, the intention is that the founder clubs would be guaranteed a place in the league regardless of how they performed in the previous season. In contrast, clubs have to earn their place in the Champions League and all European national leagues. </p>
<p>As an <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/stefan-szymanski">expert on sports management</a>, co-author of the book “<a href="https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/simon-kuper/soccernomics/9781568588865/">Soccernomics</a>,” and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/economicpolicy/article-abstract/14/28/204/2366354">someone who predicted the super league some 22 years ago</a>, I can appreciate the benefit of more games. UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, was itself about to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2940389-report-uefa-to-expand-champions-league-to-36-teams-after-super-league-formation">announce a revamped version</a> of the Champions League with more games for the big clubs. It is, I believe, a reasonable response to the level of demand.</p>
<p>But the desire of the elites to insulate themselves from competition and enhance profitability is much more questionable. And it is here that <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/soccer-uefa-holds-crisis-meeting-after-breakaway-super-league-launched-2021-04-19/">much of the backlash</a> has been directed.</p>
<h2>A sporting world leagues apart</h2>
<p>To an <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2021/04/19/european-super-league-brings-lucrative-us-sports-model-overseas/">American audience</a>, the move might seem uncontroversial, but to Europeans it represents a fundamental breach with tradition and has raised enormous passions.</p>
<p>All major <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2021/04/19/european-super-league-brings-lucrative-us-sports-model-overseas/">professional leagues in North America are “closed”</a> leagues; obtaining entry to a league is secured by payment of a franchise fee, which for the major leagues would amount to billions of dollars nowadays. </p>
<p>But soccer leagues in Europe have always been “open” leagues. Divisions are ranked according to a recognized hierarchy – the best teams play in the top league, the next-best group in the second, and so on.</p>
<p>Every season the best-performing teams in lower divisions obtain promotion to the next league up, while the worst-performing teams are relegated to the next tier down. This promotion-and-relegation system characterizes the organization of soccer in almost every country in the world, with the U.S. being a notable exception.</p>
<p>The European Commission has <a href="https://www.sportaustria.at/fileadmin/Inhalte/Dokumente/Internationales/EU_European_Model_Sport.pdf">long described the system</a> as “one of the key features of the European model of sport.”</p>
<p>Americans are often puzzled by the commitment of Europeans to this promotion-and-relegation system. After all, promoted teams can be uncompetitive, ensuring relegation 12 months later. And a team currently playing in the fourth tier of its national league system is very unlikely to play in the Champions League – not soon, and probably not ever.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, fans of these <a href="https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/soccer-super-league-could-hurt-smaller-clubs-sports-finance-expert">small clubs</a> responded to news of the Super League with outrage. The belief that one’s team, no matter how small, can make it to the top tier, playing against the best clubs – regardless of the fact that the odds are stacked against this – is a dream many smaller clubs cling to. It is the soccer equivalent of the American dream.</p>
<p>And versions of this dream have happened. The English club Leicester City <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/oct/22/newsstory.sport5">went into bankruptcy in 2002</a> and was relegated to the third tier in 2008 – but won the <a href="https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/15447878/putting-leicester-city-5000-1-odds-perspective-other-long-shots-espn-chalk">Premier League at odds of 5,000-1</a> in 2016, guaranteeing it a place among the European elite in the Champions League the following year.</p>
<h2>An own goal?</h2>
<p>Without the opportunity to rise up the system, the European soccer system will end up much like baseball in America – a sport dominated by one major league, controlling a collection of minor league teams, with no lower-level competition to speak of.</p>
<p>But baseball in the U.S. needn’t have taken that direction. A century ago, <a href="https://www.hpb.com/products/baseball-the-golden-age-9780195059137">American baseball was more like European soccer</a> – every town of any size had a team playing in a league that commanded significant local interest. History books tell us that these teams and leagues were <a href="http://doi.org/10.1353/nin.2004.0059">killed off by radio and TV</a>, giving fans access to a higher level of competition that was deemed to be more attractive to watch.</p>
<p>But that’s not quite the whole story. Europe got radio and TV too, but every small town has its own team competing in a league at some level in the hierarchy. These teams did not die when people were able to watch higher-quality soccer on TV – because these teams embodied the one quality that lies at the core of both sport and human survival: hope. Ask any fans of a small club about whether their team could one day rise to the top, and they will likely tell you that they believe.</p>
<p>What Europeans fear, and loathe, about the proposed Super League is that it will be a first step toward ending the promotion-and-relegation system, which to supporters across the continent amounts to saying that it is the first step toward extinguishing hope.</p>
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<img alt="Manchester United fans unfurl a banner against the Glazer ownership of the club." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Opposition to Manchester United’s American owner was evident even before the Super League announcement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/manchester-united-fans-unfurl-a-banner-against-the-glazer-news-photo/463776989?adppopup=true">Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>It is also not lost on European fans that three of the prime movers of the Super League are American owners of major franchises – the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european-super-league-neville-manchester-united-b1834029.html">Glazer family</a>, which owns both Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/483802-liverpool-sold-after-years-of-uncertainty-to-boston-red-sox-owner-john-henry">John Henry</a>, Liverpool and Boston Red Sox owner; and Arsenal and Colorado Avalanche owner <a href="https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/stan-kroenke-arsenal-mikel-arteta-20418137">Stan Kroenke</a>.</p>
<p>The proposed Super League would in all likelihood increase both their profits and their power within the game. Already, the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9488185/UEFA-official-fans-slam-snake-American-billionaire-team-owners-European-Super-League.html">backlash has featured an element of anti-Americanism</a>. And given the high feelings across Europe to this proposal, that could become very ugly.</p>
<p>[<em>Insight, in your inbox each day.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=insight">You can get it with The Conversation’s email newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159316/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stefan Szymanski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More competitive games between top soccer clubs is desirable but creating a ‘closed’ system would harm a soccer culture built on dreams, says the man who predicted the Super League two decades ago.Stefan Szymanski, Professor of Sport Management, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1016932018-09-19T08:31:17Z2018-09-19T08:31:17ZFC Barcelona: how our new research helped unlock the ‘Barca way’<p>FC Barcelona are one of the most <a href="https://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/card/honours-football">successful domestic football</a> teams of all time. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/the-philosophy-at-bar231as-academy-that-has-led-to-european-glory-2291414.html">Some believe</a> that one of the key ingredients of their success, across all levels of the club, is the unique philosophy and training methods employed by the array of coaches – from academy level up. </p>
<p>Now, for the first time, <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/publishahead/Quantification_of_a_Professional_Football_Team_s.95167.aspx">our new research</a> may provide some insight into the training methodology and, potentially, the secrets of the club’s success. These “secrets” could be closely associated with the theories put forward by coach <a href="https://fcb-escola.fcbarcelona.com/news/2015-2016/joan-vila-no-club-in-the-world-has-a-model-like-ours-at-fc-barcelona">Paco Seirul·lo</a> and how they link with cutting edge sports science.</p>
<p>The research was undertaken by three staff members of FC Barcelona’s Sports Performance Department, Andres Martin-Garcia, Antonio Gomez Diaz and Francesc Cos Morera. I was invited to be a consultant, alongside David Casamichana from the <a href="https://www.uneatlantico.es/en">Universidad Europea del Atlántico</a>. </p>
<p>Together, we used state of the art tracking technology throughout the 2015-16 season to monitor physical exertion of players during training and matches. The methodology across each training day was detailed meticulously to illustrate how the players were prepared for upcoming games and to potentially capture information into why this method seems to work so well. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/publishahead/Quantification_of_a_Professional_Football_Team_s.95167.aspx">discoveries were eye opening</a> and highlighted why players are always physically, technically and tactically ready for each game and also how they maintain this throughout a long season.</p>
<h2>Training that mimics match play</h2>
<p>Three or four days before a match, the “Barca model” requires the players to physically exert themselves to their highest intensity of the week through a combination of gym and field based sessions (the latter made up of small-sided games and positional training drills using various pitch dimensions). </p>
<p>This means that all training sessions included drills that had a combined focus (physical, technical and tactical). From an anecdotal perspective, some clubs still include a lot of running-based physical preparation, but Barca specifically focused on physical-tactical drills that mimic key elements of match play and simulate certain game situations.</p>
<h2>Staying fresh</h2>
<p>As the Barca model combines all aspects of training, the time for these sessions was over ten minutes less than <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/24733938.2017.1282163">those reported by other elite clubs</a> (small but this time accumulates across the season). This allows the players to stay fresh. One or two days before a game, the model primarily focuses on technical and tactical preparation using control and passing sequences, a positional game with a low number of players per team, and tactical exercises such as set pieces. </p>
<p>Training load metrics – such as the high-intensity distance a player covers in training and the number of accelerations – were decreased as the match approached due to a special <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapering">tapering strategy</a> (reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition). This indicated that coaches were easing off physically but honing the tactical and technical readiness of the players to ensure they were fit and super sharp for the big game. </p>
<h2>Being ‘game fit’</h2>
<p>Another key difference our research revealed was how Barca worked players who don’t feature heavily in matches to keep them game fit. In the Barca model, players are expected to come into training in the days after a match. For instance, these sessions involved splitting the squad into two training groups. The first group included players who had completed more than 60 minutes of the match and this group conducted low-impact activity combined with regeneration exercises to aid recovery.</p>
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<p>Players that had completed less than 60 minutes of the match and needed to “top up” their physical and tactical sharpness took part in a technical/tactical circuit (conditioning exercises that are completed one after another) followed by an intense positional drill and a small-sided game. This additional training provided the appropriate stimulus to maintain the physical capacity of players and is an important tool used by the coaches to ensure players with limited game time are ready physically, technically and tactically when selected. </p>
<p>It would seem that the Barca model seeks to vary the physical/tactical load placed on players throughout a typical week and across the season to enable performance to peak and remain high for all players –including those not getting game time. </p>
<p>So what is the “Barca way”? It would seem it’s not all <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki-taka">tiki-taka</a> and one-touch passing drills but a unique philosophy, blended with excellent coaching and cutting edge sports science. It involves a more complex understanding of what makes players tick.</p>
<p>Tactics are key, as is rest and recovery. Many elite clubs will of course be doing their own versions of this. But our research provides a unique insight into what makes one of Europe’s greatest football clubs what it is.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101693/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This article was based on the research paper written by Andrés Martín García, Dr Antonio Gómez Díaz, Dr Paul Bradley, Dr Francesc Cos Morera and Dr David Casamichana. Dr García (first author) is a sports scientist at FC Barcelona and presented the paper at the 4th Annual Football Analytics and Performance Summit in Prague in September 2018. Dr Gómez Díaz is also a sports scientist at FC Barcelona. Dr Cos Morera is the Sports Performance Director of FC Barcelona Innovation Hub and Dr Casamichana is an academic at Universidad Europea del Atlántico.</span></em></p>It’s not all about tiki-taka football. Our new research revealed how a unique philosophy, excellent coaching and cutting edge sports science help FC Barcelona get the best from its players.Paul Bradley, Reader in Sports Performance, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/973302018-05-28T13:24:22Z2018-05-28T13:24:22ZWhen the poor sponsor the rich: Rwanda and Arsenal FC<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/220617/original/file-20180528-80658-35bz8h.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Arsenal FC's new sponsor is Rwanda.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=Visit%20Rwanda&src=typd">Twitter/@Arsenal</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Rwanda keeps surprising. Recently the Rwandan Development Board signed a <a href="https://www.arsenal.com/news/club-welcomes-visit-rwanda-new-partner">sleeve sponsoring deal</a> with London Premier League club, Arsenal. Over a three-year period, the 200 sq centimetre ad “Visit Rwanda” will cost the country USD$39 million. </p>
<p>President Paul Kagame is known to be a <a href="http://www.africanews.com/2018/05/23/rwanda-becomes-arsenal-s-first-sleeve-sponsor-in-3-year-partnership//">committed Arsenal fan</a>. Recently, he even tweeted that the club needed a new coach after Arsenal’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43846363">once invincible</a> league and cup winning manager Arsene Wenger’s poor record over the past number of seasons. One may suppose that it is a coincidence that the deal was struck just after Wenger’s retirement at the end of the 2017/18 season.</p>
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<p>Rwanda is the <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD">19th poorest country</a> in the world with a per capita income of around USD$700. Arsenal is one of the <a href="http://www.cityam.com/257361/arsenal-chelsea-tottenham-and-west-ham-make-london-home">richest football clubs</a> in the world. It’s not surprising therefore that the nearly USD$40 million has upset quite a few people. </p>
<p>Dutch lawmakers, including some from the governing coalition, immediately <a href="http://ktpress.rw/2018/05/dutch-mps-annoyed-by-rwanda-arsenal-fc-deal/">reacted angrily</a> to the news that such a poor country receiving a great deal of aid from The Netherlands would sponsor one of the world’s richest soccer clubs. Similar reactions could be heard in the UK, Rwanda’s second largest bilateral donor. An MP <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world/africa">described</a> the deal as “an own goal for foreign aid”. </p>
<p>In addition, those concerned with democracy and human rights think the deal is sending the wrong message about a country that has a strong <a href="https://theconversation.com/presidential-term-limits-slippery-slope-back-to-authoritarianism-in-africa-96796">authoritarian streak</a> running through it. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-rwandas-development-model-wouldnt-work-elsewhere-in-africa-89699">Why Rwanda's development model wouldn't work elsewhere in Africa</a>
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<p>The question is: Is Kagame entering into a deal with his favourite club to promote tourism or has he done it to enhance his image and shield him from criticism? He appears to have made the <a href="http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/templates/documents/BUdget_Management_and_Reporting_Unit/Budget_Framework_Papers/2017-2020_Budget_Framework_Paper.pdf">decision</a> off his own bat: the contract appears not to have been discussed in the cabinet and the money does not figure in the budget approved by parliament.</p>
<h2>Rwanda’s rationale</h2>
<p>For the Rwandan government, the deal is part of a broader strategy to develop <a href="https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2018/rwanda2018.pdf">tourism</a>, which in 2017 accounted for about 12.7% of GDP and USD$400 million of revenue. The country sees upmarket leisure and convention tourism as an important growth sector. It has a lot going for it: lush green landscapes, the mountain gorillas of the Virunga volcanos, the Akagera wildlife park, the tropical Nyungwe forest, idyllic Lake Kivu, and even genocide memorials – all compressed into a space of just 26,000 sq kms.</p>
<p>This strategy is integrated and makes sense on paper. The state has invested heavily in its national airline<a href="https://www.rwandair.com/"> RwandAir</a> and built the Kigali Convention Centre and high-end hotels. And the development of the new Bugesera International Airport, designed to become a major regional hub, is underway. </p>
<p>But there are doubts about the profitability of these ventures. For instance, RwandAir has yet <a href="https://www.afritraveller.com/single-post/2017/08/28/Aggressive-Marketing-RwandAir-Reduces-Losses-to-1million">to break even</a> 14 years after it was launched. The government <a href="http://www.therwandan.com/rwandair-bankrupting-rwanda/">keeps it afloat</a> with an annual grant of USD$50 million just for operations.</p>
<p>Investments in a constantly expanding fleet to cater for an ever growing network of continental and intercontinental destinations require considerable borrowing at a high cost. The fiscal <a href="https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1458768/rwandas-risky-bet-prosperous-economic-future">risk</a> involved in the government’s strategy is high, and economists wonder how sustainable these outlays will be in the medium term.</p>
<p>Calculations like these are for the Rwandan government to consider. But has Arsenal considered the signal it’s giving in light of Kagame’s human rights and democracy records?</p>
<h2>Risks for Arsenal</h2>
<p>Canadian investigative journalist Judi Rever recently <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-full-episode-1.4602119/canadian-journalist-challenges-rwandan-genocide-narrative-in-new-book-1.4602122">recorded in a book</a>, “In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front”, that the Rwandan regime has massacred tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, particularly in the 1990s. </p>
<p>And last year <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/rwanda">Human Rights Watch</a> issued worrying reports about human rights abuses. These included the rounding up and arbitrary detention of poor people in “transit centres” across the country, widespread repression in land cases, extrajudicial killings and unlawful detention and torture in military facilities. </p>
<p>In October 2017 the United Nations subcommittee on Prevention of Torture <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-41513811">suspended</a> its visit to Rwanda because of “a series of obstructions imposed by the authorities”. It was only the third time in 10 years the subcommittee has done this. </p>
<p>On top of this there has been widespread analysis and commentary on the state of democracy in Rwanda. The country is a <em>de facto</em> one-party state with no meaningful political opposition, no press freedom and no independent civil society. </p>
<p>Kagame’s grip on power is absolute and in August last year he was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/05/paul-kagame-secures-third-term-in-rwanda-presidential-election">reelected</a> with over 98% of the vote. A <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/20/rwanda-vote-gives-president-paul-kagame-extended-powers">referendum</a> on a constitutional amendment in 2015 gave him the right to stay office until 2034.</p>
<p>Realising that battles are fought in the media as much, if not more than on the ground, Kagame’s party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) has developed a formidable information and communication <a href="https://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1999/rwanda/Geno15-8-03.htm">strategy</a> stretching back to the civil war it launched in October 1990.</p>
<p>Kagame once <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=qMi8CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=Kagame+:+We+used+communication+and+information+warfare+better+than+anyone.+We+have+found+a+new+way+of+doing+things.&source=bl&ots=c02IPqnffm&sig=jxE09JPPgsHbjPXcOOR1tSB6-Lo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_wZiOkKjbAhVpBMAKHXPaADkQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=Kagame%20%3A%20We%20used%20communication%20and%20information%20warfare%20better%20than%20anyone.%20We%20have%20found%20a%20new%20way%20of%20doing%20things.&f=false">said</a>:</p>
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<p>We used communication and information warfare better than anyone. We have found a new way of doing things. </p>
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<p>This has involved paying those who can help promote the right image, including <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=dX4LAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA188&lpg=PA188&dq=Rwanda+W2+Group+at+the+cost+of+US$50,000+per+month&source=bl&ots=K_Itl3UI_t&sig=JYFJVP5vXlWUknNJaV3o1kYnd-0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj84q2kkKjbAhXJLMAKHVE5APkQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=Rwanda%20W2%20Group%20at%20the%20cost%20of%20US%2450%2C000%20per%20month&f=false">public relations firms</a>. </p>
<h2>Political ethics and sport</h2>
<p>True, political ethics and sports don’t match well. Until recently FC Barcelona agreed to a Qatar sponsorship that saw the country featured on the team’s jerseys. Qatar has a very chequered political record. Due to host the 2022 World Cup, it’s <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/">known</a> for its notorious human rights abuse, especially when it comes to the rights of migrant workers and women. </p>
<p>Another example is Atlético Madrid which was controversially <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/04/football-sponsored-shirts-shame-atletico-madrid-azerbaijan">sponsored by Azerbaijan</a>, where the Euro 2020 football tournament will take place. This east European country has been <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/europe-and-central-asia/azerbaijan/">flagged by Amnesty International</a> for its “crackdown on the right to freedom of expression, particularly following revelations of large-scale political corruption”.</p>
<p>Not that it should make any difference, but these two countries are very rich, while Rwanda is very poor.</p>
<p>And I nearly forgot: Many Arsenal fans were <a href="https://news.arseblog.com/2018/05/arsenal-reveal-sleeve-sponsor-for-2018-19-season/">opposed to the deal</a>, not because of Rwanda’s human rights and democracy records, but because they didn’t like the design of the sleeve print.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97330/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Filip Reyntjens does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Political ethics and sports don’t match well. The recent deal between Rwanda and Arsenal is potentially a case in point.Filip Reyntjens, Professor of Law and Politics, Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB), University of AntwerpLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/952472018-05-03T10:35:27Z2018-05-03T10:35:27ZPep Guardiola and the long tradition of mixing football with politics<p>As manager of Manchester City, this season <a href="https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/pep-guardiolas-trophy-cabinet-36809173.html">Pep Guardiola has won</a> the Premier League and the Carabao Cup. By wearing a yellow ribbon on his chest, he has also been charged and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43350447">fined £20,000</a> by the English Football Association (FA) for “wearing a political message”. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/03/06/pep-guardiola-claims-fa-chief-martin-glenn-failed-understand/">Guardiola insists</a> the ribbon does not represent support for Catalan independence, but instead shows solidarity with pro-independence politicians who have been imprisoned. Either way, the political undertones are clear, and led to the chief of the FA, Martin Glenn, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/04/fa-pep-guardiola-yellow-ribbon-manchester-city-poppy">stating</a>: “We don’t want political symbols in football.” </p>
<p>But whether or not we want politics to be a part of football, clubs are, to a great extent, made up of their sense of history and place. This fact is demonstrated on the terraces, on the pitch and beyond, where football, politics, and identity all come together.</p>
<p>Football as an expression of political identification and resistance has plenty of examples. FC Barcelona’s slogan “<a href="https://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/identity/card/more-than-a-club-">more than a Club</a>” is well-known, as is its association with Catalan culture and society. The club was also a popular symbol of resistance during the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and Francisco Franco, and has a famous rivalry with Real Madrid, the club seen by many as the footballing representation of the centralist Spanish state.</p>
<p>Perhaps less famous is the territorial development of Athletic de Bilbao in the Basque Country. Like Catalonia, the Basque Country is an historical “autonomous community” within the Spanish state, with a strong sense of self.</p>
<p>Founded in 1901, Athletic de Bilbao has, since around 1912, only signed local Basque players (albeit with varying degrees of strictness and interpretation). Given the timing of the club’s foundation and growing feelings of Basque nationalism, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16138171.2012.11687887">some have speculated</a> that the origins of this tradition may be tied to the Basque nationalist ideology of Sabino Arana, who founded the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Basque-Nationalist-Party">Basque Nationalist Party</a> (PNV) in 1895. Many of the club’s bosses were affiliated to the PNV, and Jose Antonio Aguirre, the first president of the Basque Country, once played for Athletic de Bilbao.</p>
<p>The Franco dictatorship – which imposed restrictions on the Basque language – did little to weaken Athletic de Bilbao’s insistence on recruiting local players. And the club’s crest, which includes images of a San Anton church and bridge, located in the province of Bizkaia, is yet another symbolic expression of its geographical and political roots. </p>
<p>In the UK, too, when football clubs play, their <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Football-Against-Enemy-Simon-Kuper/dp/0752848771">histories also play</a>. This could not be truer than in the case of the two Glasgow clubs, Rangers and Celtic. When these sides meet, football, politics and religion are all inside the stadium.</p>
<h2>Old Firm holds firm</h2>
<p>Celtic FC was set up in Glasgow’s poverty stricken East End, where many Irish Catholics had settled in a bid to escape the famine in their home country. The club has its origins in the displacement of people, with the club acting as a point of cohesion. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, many Protestants began to gravitate towards Rangers, and over time the club came to be associated with Scottish Protestantism and Unionism. When the two teams meet on the pitch, the interaction of football and identity is in plain sight, through traditional songs and historic intense rivalry. </p>
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<p>A more recent connection between football and politics is clear in the Serbian clubs Partizan Belgrade and Red Star Belgrade, which were described by journalist <a href="http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2017/5/3/an-in-depth-analysis-of-serbian-football-partizan-red-star-belgrade">Nebojsa Markovic</a> as “socialist institutions”. </p>
<p>In 1944, after the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (with help from the Soviet Army) took control of Yugoslavia, many of the country’s pre-war clubs ceased to exist. This created space for new clubs to emerge which would reflect the developing political reality. </p>
<p>Red Star came first and took the communist inspired five-pointed red star as its symbol. Partizan was later formed by members of the Yugoslav army.
Both clubs survived the break up of Yugoslavia. </p>
<p>With the two clubs located in Belgrade, efforts were later made to turn them into symbols of Serbian national identification. However, they were unable to shake off their Yugoslav heritage and links to the communist state. </p>
<p>As Markovic <a href="http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2017/5/3/an-in-depth-analysis-of-serbian-football-partizan-red-star-belgrade">observed</a>, Partizan’s club crest maintains its image of the six flames which represent the six nations and six republics that were part of communist Yugoslavia. Red Star clearly maintain their red star. A complex political situation forged the evolving identities of the two clubs, including a global context that pitched communism against democracy and the Soviet state against the West. At a more local level, the clubs came to embody a distinctly Serbian identity sitting uneasily beside a wider Yugoslavian one. </p>
<p>Serbia, Scotland and Spain are just three examples of the close relationship between politics and football which exists across the world. Perhaps that’s why Guardiola continues to wear his yellow ribbon. His focus is on his club’s quest for trophies. Because in football, like politics, winning is everything.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95247/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nothing to disclose.</span></em></p>Football clubs are, to a great extent, made up of their sense of history and place.Scott Rawlinson, PhD Candidate, Political Science, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/850162017-10-02T16:47:15Z2017-10-02T16:47:15ZFC Barcelona and the Catalan struggle for independence<p>FC Barcelona’s motto “mes que un club” or “more than a club” is emblazoned across the team’s website, splashed across the seats of its Nou Camp stadium and embroidered on the collars of first-team shirts. </p>
<p>The slogan dates back to the Catalan club’s formation in 1899, when a Swiss émigré founded what is now commonly referred to as “Barca”. Hans Max Gamper-Haessig, who was enthralled by Catalonia and would later change his name to Joan Gamper, established Barca as a membership club. Even today, these members pay an annual fee to become part of what many see as one of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/may/17/championsleague.europeanfootball">world football’s best governed clubs</a>.</p>
<p>From the outset, Barcelona has been a focal point for Catalan identity, as well as a symbol of democracy. So much so that in 1925 then Spanish prime minister, Primo de Rivera, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SVbyAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=Primo+de+Rivera+gamper+barcelona+nationalism&source=bl&ots=SMJT26CZUd&sig=fwuZWrlBEQKaH5zURv54gXFgb5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj4lcq0j9LWAhWCWRoKHTfKDXwQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=Primo%20de%20Rivera%20gamper%20barcelona%20nationalism&f=false">accused Gamper and Barca of promoting Catalan nationalism</a>. Later, during the Spanish Civil War, Nou Camp would become one of few places in the city where people could openly speak in Catalan. </p>
<p>It is therefore unsurprising that in recent weeks FC Barcelona has become central to the region’s independence vote. On Sunday, <a href="https://theconversation.com/spanish-government-crushes-catalan-independence-dreams-at-a-high-price-85014">the day of the vote</a> – which was declared illegal by Spain’s central government – Barca called for its league match against Las Palmas <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4587173/barcelona-board-emergency-meeting-las-palmas-catalan-independence/">to be postponed</a>, as violence spread across the city. When its request was denied, the club issued a last minute statement that condemned the attempts to stop citizens voting and said that the game would go ahead, but behind closed doors. </p>
<p>This match was, though, laden with meaning. Some criticised the club for <a href="https://qz.com/1091536/barcelona-fc-played-in-an-empty-stadium-as-the-unrest-over-the-catalonia-independence-vote-continued-outside/">selling out to television companies</a>, putting money from broadcasting contracts ahead of political principles. Others observed that pressure has been placed on Barca by La Liga president Javier Tebas, a lifelong Real Madrid fan. He also gave permission for the Las Palmas team to play with a special Spanish flag (intended to symbolise Spanish unity) woven into their shirts.</p>
<p>One of the players on the field during the game was Barca’s talismanic defender, Gerard Piqué, who has publicly professed his support for the Catalonia independence vote. Piqué, recently booed by other Spanish fans, has <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41460584">even offered to quit</a> playing for the country’s national team.</p>
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<h2>Commercial concerns</h2>
<p>FC Barcelona is clearly, then, much more than a club. It is a complicated and highly politicised entity in a way the likes of Manchester United or Arsenal have never been. But herein lies an important challenge, which probably serves as a metaphor too for the many other challenges facing Catalonia – how to successfully navigate the future post-independence.</p>
<p>Top-level professional football is no longer just a local game for local people. It is a mass-market product traded by businesses for a commercial return. And Barca is no exception. A shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways <a href="https://theconversation.com/warning-for-fifa-in-barcelona-as-fans-bid-to-end-qatar-sponsorship-44742">drew condemnation from fans</a> for moving the club in a more commercial direction. Some cynics have even referred to Barca’s <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/03/08/madridification-barcelona-barca-went-mes-que-un-club-just-another/">“Madridification”</a>.</p>
<p>In this context, recent events pose significant challenges for Barca’s business dealings. For example, in the middle of Sunday’s events, the club issued a public statement asserting that it supported the right to Catalonian self-determination and condemned any act by the Spanish state that might impede its people’s democratic right to vote in the referendum.</p>
<p>As a philosophy – and as a brand proposition – this is both noble and distinctive. But for a club that has been casting covetous eyes at Asian markets, it could prove troublesome. The last thing the Qataris or Chinese will want is for fans and businesses in their countries to be building a relationship with a club that advocates separatism and a disregard for central government authority.</p>
<p>It will therefore be worthwhile keeping a close eye on messages coming out of Doha, Beijing and elsewhere in Asia. That said, given Catalan diasporas in Latin America – those that fled the region during the Spanish civil war – at least part of the club’s overseas commercial strategy targeting fans looks set to remain in tact.</p>
<p>Speculation abounds as to what secession would mean for Barca, whether it could stay in Spain’s top flight (Tebas <a href="http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/09/29/59ce8888ca47410f2a8b465c.html">has said</a> the club will not be allowed to remain in the league in the event of secession), and whether it would lose its UEFA membership and right to play Champions League football.</p>
<p>Some have even suggested that Barca could <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fc-barcelona-premier-league-la-liga-catalunya-catalan-independence-vote-ballot-a7975266.html">join England’s Premier League</a>. Commercially, this might seem like a marriage made in heaven. But it is extremely unlikely to happen, not least because of the potential complexities of such a move. The other alternative – a small Catalonia league <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41346846">with the likes of local rivals Espanyol, Girona and Tarragona</a> – is hard to imagine and would struggle to generate sizeable revenues. </p>
<p>Such a debate may sound premature. But it’s indicative of how the club has to consider its commercial, as well as political priorities. Gamper was right, FC Barcelona is more than a club. But football in 1899 was a rather different proposition to football in the 21st century. The power of Catalan politics might be compelling, but in football the lure of global revenue streams may yet trump regional idealism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85016/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Chadwick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The football club has long been central to Catalan identity and is central to the region’s independence vote.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Enterprise, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/819822017-08-03T15:51:57Z2017-08-03T15:51:57ZCould Neymar’s record transfer to PSG be stopped by Financial Fair Play regulations?<p>The Neymar transfer saga <a href="https://theconversation.com/qatar-psg-and-the-real-reason-neymar-could-sell-for-a-record-198m-81859">rumbles on</a>. After weeks of rumours that he might move to French club Paris Saint-Germain, the Brazilian forward has now confirmed the news and told his current club, FC Barcelona, that he wants to leave. The club’s response? PSG must pay a record €222m transfer fee in full if they want him. </p>
<p>Much attention has been paid to the fact that this would make Neymar the most expensive footballer ever – by quite some margin. But PSG’s ability to pay this money also comes with an additional predicament: Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. Indeed, La Liga, Spanish football’s governing body, has <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/836236/Transfer-News-LIVE-updates-Neymar-PSG-Man-Utd-Arsenal-Chelsea-Liverpool-latest">said</a> it would not accept the payment from PSG to trigger Neymar’s release clause. The reason: “We have doubts that this money is in accordance with UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.”</p>
<p>These are regulations that were introduced by UEFA, European football’s governing body, that require clubs’ spending to match their earnings. They stipulate that clubs should avoid accumulating debts, by limiting the difference between their revenue and expense to a net loss that is currently set at €5m. So that’s a lot of money to make up when you consider the fact that Neymar is estimated to cost PSG <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/news/12691/10971192/neymar-agrees-five-year-paris-saint-germain-deal-ahead-of-world-record-450m-transfer-from-barcelona">close to €500m</a> when you include his wages, bonuses, and other expenses, as well as the €222m release clause. </p>
<p>The FFP rules were introduced in 2011 in response to growing concerns regarding European club football’s overall financial health. Despite ever increasing revenues, many clubs were also exponentially accumulating debt. The losses among <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/sports-business-group/uk-deloitte-sport-football-money-league-2016.pdf">Europe’s top division clubs</a> had in fact increased by 760% over the five-year period leading up to the introduction of FFP (2006-2011), with more than half of them reporting losses in 2011. </p>
<h2>Ways around the rules?</h2>
<p>Interestingly, PSG has been in breach of the FFP regulations before, in 2014. The club was <a href="http://www.espn.co.uk/football/news/story/_/id/1811094/psg-set-quadruple-financial-fair-play-sanctions-uefa">sanctioned</a> by UEFA for spending around €100m more than they earned. It was banned from increasing its salaries and had limits placed on its transfer spending in the next window. It was also given a €60m fine spread over three seasons and limited to naming a 21-man squad in its Champions League campaign instead of the usual 25. </p>
<p>It is worth noting that there are ways around the FFP regulations. First off, clubs are allowed to spend an additional €30m of their own money over a rolling three‑year period to cover any excess spending. Also, FFP accounting allows for transfer fees to be paid over the length of a player’s contract. This would give PSG time to sell some players to raise money over the next few years to cover the transfer fees, should such an agreement be reached with Barcelona.</p>
<p>Plus, PSG may be able to use some other creative solutions to plug any deficit in their accounts. For example, in 2014 the Qatari-owned club tried to avoid sanctions by signing a deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority which brought them within UEFA’s FFP earnings threshold. Following an investigation by UEFA, it was deemed to be overvalued (hence the sanctions), but who knows what sort of deals PSG might sign to increase its revenues. </p>
<p>These are in fact some of the reasons why FFP has been heavily criticised since its introduction. Indeed, there has been ample criticism regarding FFP and its potential effects. Some were concerned that the rules would freeze the existing hierarchy in the leagues and preserve the status of the wealthy elite clubs at the top of the table, while limiting the smaller clubs to their own meagre resources and reducing competition. The idea being that those clubs that took advantage of the lack of regulations before FFP would benefit from the change. </p>
<p>My <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/SBM-10-2016-0058">research</a> into the effect of FFP on the English Premier League (EPL) found little to no evidence to support this criticism. In fact, the study indicates that competition has increased, suggesting that FFP regulations might actually have a positive impact on leagues. Indeed, from the 2012-13 to 2015-16 seasons, there were four consecutive EPL titles won by four different teams – something never previously experienced in the EPL era.</p>
<p>As for Neymar’s transfer prospects, La Liga does not have the jurisdiction to block the move on FFP grounds. The deal – and PSG’s finances – can only be investigated by UEFA, in a potentially long and protracted process involving lots of lawyers. Based on previous sanctions, this may be something PSG is willing to risk.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81982/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Argyro Elisavet Manoli does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Financial Fair Play rules require clubs’ spending to match their earnings.Argyro Elisavet Manoli, Lecturer in Sports Marketing and Communications, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/818592017-08-01T12:16:10Z2017-08-01T12:16:10ZQatar, PSG and the real reason Neymar could sell for a record £198m<p>The footballing world awaits Brazilian footballer Neymar’s move to France’s Paris Saint Germain (PSG) for a <a href="http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/07/31/597f5c9246163f72298b466e.html">world record fee of more than £198m</a> – his FC Barcelona release clause demands as much. Such is the anticipated deal’s magnitude, that it will more than double the size of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/man-utd-splash-record-89m-on-paul-pogba-but-is-he-worth-it-63745">previous £89m record</a>, paid by England’s Manchester United for French player Paul Pogba in 2016. </p>
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<p>Rumours have circulated for months that Neymar <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4034036/manchester-united-transfer-news-neymar-barcelona/">has been unhappy</a> at Barcelona playing in the shadow of Lionel Messi. Some <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/07/29/watch-neymar-storm-training-scuffle-barcelona-team-mate-nelson/">have speculated</a> that Neymar has fallen out with several of his teammates. And with a new manager recently installed at the Spanish club and Neymar’s close friend, fellow Brazilian Dani Alves, also now at PSG, the scene seems set for the move.</p>
<p>Whatever the on-field motives for Neymar’s switch to Paris, the transfer is perhaps a more highly charged affair off it. PSG was purchased by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in 2011, with a view to establishing the club <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/14393012">as a leading global sports brand</a>. While domestic success has been secured, the absence of international achievement has hindered the club’s commercial development. </p>
<p>At one level, Neymar’s acquisition could therefore be interpreted as a high-stakes gamble to deliver on QSI’s vision. Yet over the last two seasons, PSG’s record of player purchases has appeared at odds with this. The club has only signed two players of real note (Julian Draxler from Schalke and Angel Di Maria from Manchester United), neither of whom are of the same calibre as the likes of Neymar, Messi or Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. </p>
<p>The failure to make significant marquee signings is likely a reflection of the Qatari government’s recent <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/048e5762-f9a4-11e6-bd4e-68d53499ed71">imposition of fiscal stringency measures</a>, a result of low oil prices. This has even hit the country’s 2022 World Cup budget which has seen heavy spending cuts and large job losses across the country. And it has led to discussions about Qatar creating a tax system (its citizens and businesses currently do not pay tax). In this context, the lavish purchase of Neymar is something of a surprise.</p>
<h2>Political motives</h2>
<p>As such, there is another more important, geopolitical, issue to consider. An alternative interpretation of PSG’s Neymar signing is that he could unwittingly be about to become a Qatari poster-boy amid the country’s serious conflict with its near neighbours. Over the last two months, Qatar has been embroiled in an <a href="https://theconversation.com/qatar-saudi-arabia-is-taking-a-chance-and-iran-could-be-the-ultimate-winner-79478">unprecedented regional dispute</a> with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, following various claims including that it is harbouring international terrorists and is interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbours. </p>
<p>This has resulted in several countries cutting diplomatic ties with Doha, as well as trade routes into and out of the country being blocked. Indeed, the country’s only land border, with Saudi Arabia, has been closed for some weeks.</p>
<p>Qatar’s response to these moves has been to adopt an assertive, even bullish, position that has seen it move closer to Iran and Turkey, while continuing to emphasise its economic strength. The country retains significant currency reserves, is seeking to boost its gas production to reduce its dependence on oil (which will see it become the world’s biggest producer of liquefied natural gas), and has talked up its credentials as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/02/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-arabia-blockade.html">richest country in the world per capita</a>.</p>
<h2>Making a statement</h2>
<p>Neymar’s PSG move, while beneficial to the French club, may therefore be motivated by the political statement it makes and the soft power influence it is likely to have. At a time when the likes of Saudi Arabia want the world to be talking about Qatar in negative terms, Doha has become a focus for the biggest story of the year in the world’s favourite sport.</p>
<p>It may appear that Neymar has thus become a pawn in a regional political spat. Keep in mind though that his original move from Brazil to Barcelona was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/mar/30/neymar-brazil-barcelona-santos-transfer">mired in controversy</a> as he was aggressively courted by one club after another. This is a young man whose representatives understand how to capitalise on the vagaries of the environment in which football clubs operate.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, it is Qatar’s desire to stand tall in front of its regional rivals that has shouted loudest in what is likely to become world football’s biggest ever transfer. Indeed, though many bemoan that sport and politics <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14732388.Susan_Egelstaff__Politics_and_sport_should_not_be_mixed_______or_so_I_thought/">should not mix</a>, Neymar’s transfer demonstrates that in the 21st century, sport is politics.</p>
<p>The Brazilian star will presumably be largely unconcerned about Saudi claims that Qatar supports the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and happily bank his big salary at the end of each month. Similarly, PSG and its fans will be pleased that the club’s chances of winning the Champions League are just about to improve dramatically. Yet it is Qatar, as it sits at the centre of world football’s glare, that is likely to be most satisfied by this impending, record-breaking piece of business.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81859/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Chadwick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s all to do with PSG’s Qatari owners.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Enterprise, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/798562017-07-02T08:37:11Z2017-07-02T08:37:11ZWhy African fans love European football - a Senegalese perspective<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175826/original/file-20170627-24782-7bkqjt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The local game in Senegal is underdeveloped.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mark Hann/GLOBALSPORT</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>Casillas throws the ball to Thuram, standing on the edge of his penalty area. The big defender passes to Zidane, who turns and dribbles past two opponents before playing a precise through-ball for Iniesta, who lays it on for Alves on the right wing. Alves curls in an accurate cross, Tevez rises at the far post to meet it with a powerful header – goal!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This may sound like the commentary for a testimonial or charity match, at which an all-star team of football legends past and present line up for a good cause. But at this match there are no supporters cheering the players on. There are no TV cameras recording the play, and not even a single blade of grass on the pitch. </p>
<p>And Frenchmen <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/jun/04/zinedine-zidane-manager-more-successful-player-real-madrid-champions-league">Zinedine Zidane</a> and <a href="http://www.thuram.org/site/en/the-foundation/who-is-lilian-thuram/">Lilian Thuram</a>, Brazilian <a href="http://www.eurosport.com/football/dani-alves_prs206480/person.shtml">Dani Alves</a>, Argentinian <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/news/8/main/2017/05/14/35504562/introverted-tevez-has-been-a-colossal-waste-of-money-for">Carlos Tevez</a>, and Spaniards <a href="http://www.goal.com/en-za/people/spain/1219/iker-casillas">Iker Casillas</a> and <a href="https://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/staff/players/2016-2017/a-iniesta">Andrés Iniesta</a> – fabled names from the upper echelons of European football – are nowhere to be seen. </p>
<p>Instead it’s Ameth “Zidane”, Mbaye “Thuram”, Mamadou “Alves”, Saliou “Tevez”, Mohamed “Casillas” and Abdou “Iniesta”, all nicknamed after those footballing icons. We are in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, on a dusty pitch, watching a cup game between two local under-19 teams.</p>
<p>In Senegal European football is hugely popular. While local league teams play in almost deserted stadia, audiences crowd around televisions to follow the latest matches of the English <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/">Premier League</a>, the Spanish <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/laligafootball">La Liga</a>, or the pan-European <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/">UEFA Champions League</a>. </p>
<p>The latest goals, controversies and transfers in Europe are the subject of passionate debate and discussion on the streets of Dakar. By contrast, the local leagues attract hardly any interest. This is true in very many African countries. But I explore what lies behind this discrepancy in Senegal. As well as why a nation so in thrall to the beautiful game seemingly ignores the major competitions taking place on their own doorstep? </p>
<h2>Why the big attraction</h2>
<p>There are a number of reasons.</p>
<p>Jean Bertin Uwarugaba, a telecoms engineer of Rwandan origin who has lived in Senegal for over two decades, provided me with one obvious answer: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The local game is underdeveloped. It’s not attractive, because there are no historical rivalries between the teams.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>With the <a href="http://sociologicalimagination.org/archives/1946/comment-page-1">deregulation of football broadcasting</a> since the 1990s, the European game has become accessible and affordable to many Africans, especially those living in urban areas. Why should people consume a sub-par product when they can watch the elite level of the game in the comfort of their own homes? </p>
<p>Dakar-based Uwarugaba is a fanatical fan of top English club <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/chelsea?INTCMP=searchAutoComp">Chelsea</a>. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I first started watching European football around 1999, in particular <a href="https://www.om.net/en">Olympique Marseille</a>. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/didier-drogba">Didier Drogba</a> emerged as the leader of that team. After Drogba’s transfer to Chelsea in 2004, I started following the Premier League. I’ve been a fan of Chelsea ever since.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another reason is the growing presence of African football stars in the top European leagues. This is certainly a big attraction. The Ivorian superstars Drogba and <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/players/4148/Yaya-Tour%C3%A9/overview">Yaya Touré</a>, or the Cameroonian striker <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/jun/08/samuel-etoo-world-cup-2010">Samuel Eto'o</a> are icons to fans in Senegal. There’s particular pride at the emergence of exciting young Senegalese players such as Liverpool’s <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/players/6519/Sadio-Man%C3%A9/overview">Sadio Mané</a>, Lazio’s Keita Baldé Diao or <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kalidou-koulibaly">Kalidou Koulibaly</a> who’s playing for Napoli. </p>
<p>However, the two most popular clubs in Senegal at the moment are the Spanish giants, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/barcelona">FC Barcelona</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/realmadrid">Real Madrid</a>, neither of whom currently has an African player in their first team squad – other than the Cameroonian born French international <a href="https://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/news/2016-2017/10-essential-facts-about-new-fc-barcelona-signing-samuel-umtiti">Samuel Umtiti</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175834/original/file-20170627-24746-4z6a39.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175834/original/file-20170627-24746-4z6a39.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175834/original/file-20170627-24746-4z6a39.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175834/original/file-20170627-24746-4z6a39.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175834/original/file-20170627-24746-4z6a39.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175834/original/file-20170627-24746-4z6a39.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175834/original/file-20170627-24746-4z6a39.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Top league matches in Senegal are normally poorly attended.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mark Hann/GLOBALSPORT</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Specific local context of football</h2>
<p>In Senegal, perhaps, the reason for this European obsession can be found by exploring the specific context of football – and sport – in the country. It’s worth looking at one local exception that attracts as much passion and fervour as the European giants – the navétanes inter-district championship, which includes the aforementioned team containing the illustrious names of Casillas, Zidane and Tevez. Saliou “Tevez” is the team’s centre forward, a fast and athletic young man who dreams of a career in Europe.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I played in the local navétanes team. Everyone started calling me Tevez, because I played like [Argentine player] Carlos Tevez. I worked hard, I scored goals, I was technical. We won the cup that year. Everyone in the neighbourhood knows me as Tevez.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Saliou’s exploits in the inter-district team are a reminder that there is a local football competition which ignites the passions and loyalties of Senegalese fans. It just isn’t the official league championship.</p>
<p>The navétanes championships take their name from the Wolof “nawet”, referring to the rainy season, and it’s primarily during these summer months that they take place. Since the 1950s, local teams have competed against one another to defend the honour and pride of the neighbourhood or village, and the navétanes matches often attract huge crowds. </p>
<p>Much is at stake: violent altercations and accusations of occult activity among fans are often reported, making the competition resemble Senegal’s other hugely popular sport of <a href="https://theconversation.com/senegalese-wrestle-with-ethnicity-while-reaching-for-dreams-of-success-66073?sr=1">wrestling</a> known for being saturated in magico-religious practices. The popularity of the navétanes championships and the national wrestling arena demonstrate that there’s a large appetite for local sports competitions.</p>
<p>The high demand for European football comes in addition to, not instead of, sport at the local level. </p>
<p>Ultimately, they represent two very different things. The navétanes championships, like wrestling, offer a visceral experience of sporting competition which is rooted in complex local meanings, regional loyalties and historical rivalries. In contrast, the viewing of European football matches on TV allows African fans to partake in the aspirational dreams exported worldwide by the Premier League or the Champions League.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175837/original/file-20170627-24741-1aq3rwc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175837/original/file-20170627-24741-1aq3rwc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175837/original/file-20170627-24741-1aq3rwc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175837/original/file-20170627-24741-1aq3rwc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175837/original/file-20170627-24741-1aq3rwc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175837/original/file-20170627-24741-1aq3rwc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/175837/original/file-20170627-24741-1aq3rwc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many young Senegalese boys dream of playing for big European clubs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mark Hann/GLOBALSPORT</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Whether as a consumer, like Uwarugaba, or as a player, in the case of Saliou “Tevez”, there is a strong desire to participate in the football economy at the highest level. In this context, the local league championships are neither here nor there. They lack the passionate support of the navétanes teams, but are also unable to pay competitive salaries necessary to attract the best players. </p>
<p>In a sense, the popularity of European football in Africa is a direct consequence of neoliberal economic transformations, the liberalisation of media and the influx of satellite broadcasting into the African market. The commodification and <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/as-the-premier-league-sells-its-wares-in-south-africa-the-local-league-will-suffer-9222573.html">marketing</a> of European football to an African audience generates profits for telecommunications companies based in the global North, thus exacerbating inequalities and restricting the growth potential of the local game.</p>
<p>But, as pervasive as the globalisation of football may be, there is no denying the genuine passion it inspires among its African fans, and the creative ways in which the global game is incorporated into local narratives. </p>
<p><em>This article is based on research conducted as part of the <a href="http://global-sport.eu/">GLOBALSPORT</a> project based at the University of Amsterdam and funded by the European Research Council.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79856/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Hann receives funding from the European Research Council. </span></em></p>European football matches allow African fans to partake in the aspirational dreams exported worldwide by the Premier League or the Champions League.Mark Hann, Doctoral student in Anthropology, University of AmsterdamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/447422015-07-17T13:50:00Z2015-07-17T13:50:00ZWarning for FIFA in Barcelona as fans bid to end Qatar sponsorship<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88839/original/image-20150717-13796-39i99r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C13%2C1073%2C715&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">From more charitable times.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/libertinus/18450314470/in/photolist-u7oFGb-9B2UWQ-psCo7-9B3JcS-a8HZ6x-6EfaEJ-ziaFF-e931D-pHczDE-fqXz7-DpTfV-4u9Q6m-xn2iz-fqXzn-aozYgi-8YaoKo-7uEAqu-28tVhF-ez49z9-abijoX-3MXawM-9NbvG2-82Rubx-a9tS6b-6oH42U-6oH3Fd-aXpDcB-cKPoFE-DpThG-dnvVLS-FadSi-6ThNXr-9GRLZ5-rkYr5Z-uoSNkp-axwfvx-e9jyW-g8LStw-ee5i7E-nXPAce-g8M2Ru-8RxVYr-of8Gb1-e6pbjJ-bDZzBQ-6M3Lnw-oh5Kvk-9NVvwT-6MBRzt-c8XcCf">Montecruz Foto</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>At home games, FC Barcelona plays its club anthem – <em>El Cant del Barça</em> – to which the crowd normally responds by singing along in unison. Translated into English, <a href="http://www.totalbarca.com/2010/offside/chants-barcas-anthem/">parts of the anthem</a> contain the following lines: “We all agree; One flag unites us in brotherhood; We’ve got a name that everyone knows; And we have shown; That no one can ever break us.”</p>
<p>These words are emblematic of the histories shared by the football club, the city and Catalonia. This is bound up in a heady mix of republicanism and leftist politics, which has often manifested itself as a fight against bigger foes. </p>
<p>For FC Barca, the intoxicating nature of this mix is heightened by a club governance system that consists of members (socios), not owners, who periodically elect a president.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gApaq-QyTJs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>In the modern footballing era, Barca is almost unique, often held up as being the epitome of fan democracy and good governance. Indeed, even in an intensely commercial operating environment, this has helped define the club brand and underpin its commercial activities.</p>
<h2>Charity case</h2>
<p>This most poignantly meant that Barca didn’t sign its first shirt sponsorship deal until 2006. Even then the deal was with UNICEF, a children’s charity, which entailed the club paying its sponsor rather than the other way round. This was a great way of accentuating Barca’s philosophy, as well as its brand proposition, of being “more than a club”. </p>
<p>However, in 2010 (in a deal with the Qatar Foundation) and again in 2013 (when it signed a £125 million deal with Qatar Airways), <a href="http://philosofooty.afootballreport.com/post/2168114008/barcelonas-sponsorship-deal-the-end-of-an-era">the club moved away from its established approach</a> to selling shirt sponsorships.</p>
<p>The latter deal was especially important for a club that had been struggling with huge debts, the result of heavy player transfer expenditure (and, arguably, poor management) over several years. However unlike, say, Yokohama Tyres at Chelsea or T-Mobile at Bayern Munich, Barcelona’s Qatar associations have come with considerably more baggage.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88841/original/image-20150717-13752-o0x78x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flights cancelled?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stmaartenpiloot/2162420865/in/photolist-4i5Yon-iLpRWm-gSkLJW-fxt2ps-sgEnqJ-m4AgSj-8TGeEs-qGJutf-aAwjBX-8VruQy-4wskYq-bT8XDX-92xPS-dLAbb5-658Key-aQwhAX-q9KF1F-bK7AqM-bCkY4L-r8pRSi-9fj1YR-kBTnp3-mW25b3-7KiDEv-nSkPXr-qKfMJu-rTNYZE-v4fkj6-tmE6jk-aQwhS2-pyZ3Q8-r5vhaS-eH7bmB-rGbZu7-8hGr95-4Sk9PP-bDCAt4-armnhX-aQwhiK-qsKSu1-9aXzn5-9dZWMb-oUFzZk-d9FToy-pyZ3Ce-pRxR29-pz5xXY-pz5xMh-iu1CFr-6qQH9R">Pieter van Marion</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For a club with such strong political foundations, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11479991/Qatar-Airways-chief-shames-drunk-flight-attendant-in-email.html">reports about employment conditions within Qatar Airways</a> would appear to have put the football club in conflict with itself, its culture and the reputation it has always sought to uphold. </p>
<p>But it is a double whammy, as Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup has also brought the issue of <a href="https://theconversation.com/qatar-has-every-reason-to-enforce-new-workers-charter-23263">how the country treats migrant construction workers</a> into sharp global focus.</p>
<p>And with these concerns the words “now we all agree; One flag unites us in brotherhood” have brought FC Barcelona’s fans together. The club’s associations with Qatar have finally proved too much for <em>blaugrana</em> supporters. In recent weeks, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/barcelona/11731733/Petition-calling-on-Barcelona-to-drop-shirt-sponsor-hits-40000-in-24-hours.html">an online petition has been started</a>, which has gone viral with 59,000 people now having signed it. The petition reads:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Right now, Qatar Airways sponsors one of the most famous football clubs, the Barcelona Football Club. Barcelona’s millions of fans see the team as ‘more than a club’, revered not only for the quality of its players but for its allegiance to ethics, fairness and social justice. We cannot legitimize a company that exploits thousands of vulnerable workers. It is against the values of the sport. We need to drop Qatar Airways as a sponsor.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Presidential</h2>
<p>At one level, this may be seen as a call to protect the heritage of a cherished social institution. At another level though, it is typical of direct consumer actions that have increasingly and more generally emerged over the last decade or so. Direct action normally involves a group addressing an existing problem, highlighting an alternative, or demonstrating a possible solution to a problem. </p>
<p>In some instances, direct action is perpetrated in the form of violence, but other, more peaceful means are often used too – the Barca petition being one example. As the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/jun/07/features11.g22">Guardian newspaper</a>, the Occupy movement and more recently Anonymous have all shown though, disgruntled people are no longer prepared to idly accept perceived wrongdoings. </p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether the Barca petition will achieve the fans’ goal of removing Qatar Airways’ name from team shirts. But one has to remember that the timing of the petition is not accidental. The club is in the midst of a presidential election that will reach it’s climax on Saturday.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.espnfc.com/club/barcelona/83/blog/post/2525564/bartomeu-laporta-benedito-freixa-barcelona-presidential-race">One of the candidates</a> is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/17/barcelona-presidential-candidate-joan-laporta-elections">former president Joan Laporta</a>, who is a staunch Catalan nationalist and a firm advocate of the football club’s traditional values. He also happens to be the arch nemesis of Sandro Rossell, who succeeded Laporta as Barca president in 2010 and then signed the deal with Qatar’s state airline. Laporta has stated that he will terminate the Qatar Airways deal should he be elected. </p>
<p>Laporta’s posturing orchestration may be entirely opportunistic, motivated by political ambition, conveniently underpinned by discontent among willing disciples. However, the form of direct action being taken by fans is especially resonant <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-clever-politics-of-sepp-blatters-resignation-from-fifa-42733">in light of recent problems at FIFA</a>. </p>
<h2>FIFA foe fum</h2>
<p>As world football’s governing body has plunged deeper into a mire of corruption, football fans across the world have called for <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/05/29/fifa-sponsors-pressure-corruption-scandal/">FIFA’s corporate partners to take action</a> against the organisation. The response of most partners has been lame, their statements being a tightrope walk designed to placate fans whilst not undermining either their relations with FIFA or the sponsorship investment they have made in the World Cup.</p>
<p>What the Barcelona case illustrates though is that bringing about change at FIFA may rest in the hands of direct consumer action. Rather than looking to faceless executives in the boardrooms of sponsoring corporations across the world, Barca’s socios are signalling to fans everywhere that consumer petitions and product boycotts may be a new way of tackling some of sports’ most serious problems. </p>
<p>It will therefore be interesting to see how fans respond globally, particularly as Barcelona supporters are effectively challenging them to take matters into their own hands.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88844/original/image-20150717-21047-1mhwada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Blatter stands alone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9753072@N03/2535267174/in/photolist-a81FLS-8mN9nX-i8ocjq-bCqzhP-4S2UB1-8iiB43-9sUPWJ-87F3Uu-87CnyZ-bdS3Xk-cs4f9q-cNJR5C-nUYKJm-gEo1e-7kGKD3-fqzc1-8mN76X-4BiZPf-bdS3Ca-xLsk4-xLsyR-bdK6i4-cQpQmU-bdS4UB-bdK1Lp-bdJZPF-bdS4bk-bdS3Lp-bdK66D-tsTSFy-dv8bub-77Kiuu-dTZVjy-dv8c6j-dv2Ayz-dv2zQX-duTQss-duTQ57-duTPw3-duNdpg-ojQLDV-dTUhdz-dTZUUs-dTZURu-dTZUfQ-dv93uC-omATBr-ojNNSo-dv3ukF-8dBoAf">AsianFC</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sepp Blatter and the FIFA hierarchy presumably don’t normally break a sweat when they hear “one flag unites us in brotherhood” echoing in their ears. Yet they should start learning the words of El Cant del Barça, while keeping an eye on developments over in Catalonia. </p>
<p>After all, should Barcelona fans be successful in their quest to oust Qatar Airways, then it creates a precedent that may expose both FIFA itself and its commercial partners to similar actions in the future – Blatter, be warned.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44742/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
The race to become the new FC Barcelona president reaches a climax this weekend, and there is more at stake than football.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport Business Strategy, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216612014-01-17T14:51:28Z2014-01-17T14:51:28ZHi-tech turnstiles and smart boots will kick sporting giants onto internet of things<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/39314/original/8d9x9wtz-1389965169.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There's Intel inside Neymar.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andrew Milligan/PA </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Neymar scored for FC Barcelona against Villareal in a recent Spanish La Liga game, it was a momentous occasion. As the Brazilian international turned to celebrate, he pulled up his shirt to reveal Intel’s logo on its inside. This was the first time during a game that the world had seen evidence of Barca’s recently signed <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25357026">US$25m sponsorship deal</a> with the American tech corporation.</p>
<p>Given that 100m people or more are likely to have seen the logo, this was an immediate return on investment for Intel who are one of several tech giants recently taking an interest in sport. Last July, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys signed a US$20m stadium <a href="http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/9508990/dallas-cowboys-say-complex-renamed-att-stadium">naming rights deal with AT&T</a>. The previous month, Yahoo reached an agreement with the San Francisco 49ers to become “the exclusive online sports content, social networking and photo and video sharing partner” of the American football team’s new stadium. </p>
<p>One view of such deals is that they are simply “of their age”, just as tobacco in the 1970s, alcohol in the 1980s, financial services in the 1990s and online gambling in the 2000s sought out sponsorship opportunities in sport. Now in the second decade of the 21st century, Intel’s deal with Barca could merely be seen as an obvious relationship between two global brands, both seeking to build profile, presence and market share.</p>
<p>However, there is something rather different about the Intel/Barca deal. Whereas sports sponsorship used to be about a sticker on a car or a name on a shirt, industry professionals now talk about relationships, strategic alliances and partnerships. Moreover, outcomes are now couched not just in financial terms alone, but also in terms of competence building and “win-win” scenarios.</p>
<p>And this is where the real, fundamental point of interest lies in the Intel/Barca deal: whether we realise it or not, we are now living in the midst of a new industrial revolution.</p>
<h2>Internet of things</h2>
<p>At the heart of this revolution is the <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-internet-of-things-16542">internet of things</a>, the process of connecting everyday objects to the internet. These objects can indeed be any “thing”, from a fridge to an elevator, a pint of milk to a pair of shoes.</p>
<p>So what of Neymar, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Barca’s flow of goals? The internet of things surely has something to tell us about Intel’s sudden interest in Spanish football. </p>
<p>As a fan, have you ever wondered how many kilometres a player like Neymar runs during a game? How often do you think he kicks with his left foot or his right foot? How many calories does he burn? </p>
<p>As a kit manufacturer like Nike, as Neymar turns and stretches, how does his shirt pull and twist? Could his shirt be designed and made in a way that helps Neymar play better? And if there is a fault in his shirt, could there be some form of early warning about the fragility of the garment?</p>
<p>And here’s the key: imagine Intel working with Barca and Nike to create a shirt that incorporates smart technology. This shirt could then continuously broadcast real-time data – calories burned, for example – which are then transmitted directly to the handsets of fans sat at the Nou Camp watching a game. The potential goes way beyond this though – for instance, imagine the day when a shirt is able to carry a camera broadcasting live footage as Neymar sticks a winner in the net.</p>
<p>At the same time, additional data could be transmitted to Nike technicians sat back at headquarters in Oregon, who can use it as the basis for modifying kit and designing better equipment. Meanwhile, for the Barca performance analysts sitting pitch-side, the “smart shirts” could generate a constant flow of data helping them identify player strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. </p>
<p>Perhaps Neymar’s boots might also carry smart technology, and the performance analysts can change their set-up during the game by electronically sending instructions back to the boots (something the fans might also be able to access on their handsets).</p>
<p>This is the internet of things in action, and this would seem to be the real essence of recent deals signed by Intel, Yahoo, AT&T and the rest. By 2020, it is estimated that there will be <a href="http://slashdot.org/topic/datacenter/gartner-calls-internet-of-things-a-3-8-trillion-new-era/">30 billion connected devices</a> in the world. Some even believe the number <a href="http://share.cisco.com/internet-of-things.html">could be far higher</a>.</p>
<h2>Competing off the pitch</h2>
<p>For Barca, “Intel Inside” puts them at the forefront of a new age in which the data generated by shirts, shorts, boots, the seats fans sit on, the drinks machines used at half-time, the turnstiles people pass through and so forth are all linked through the internet of things. </p>
<p>Understanding and responding to this deluge of data will be key. Just as in other sectors of business, sports teams that don’t pay attention to this development will fall behind their rivals.</p>
<p>Competitive advantage in this new age will be secured by catering to the individual needs of every person sat in a stadium; by attaining levels of player and equipment performance achieved through the generation and understanding of ever more sophisticated streams of data; and by allowing all stakeholders to engage and interact with players, teams and games in a way that enables them to simultaneously fulfil a whole range of needs and wants.</p>
<p>So, keep in mind that the next time you watch a game on television and a cliché-prone commentator exclaims “the defenders really are making Neymar sweat”, thanks to Intel and others it could well be that we can check on our handsets the extent to which this is actually the case.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/21661/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Chadwick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When Neymar scored for FC Barcelona against Villareal in a recent Spanish La Liga game, it was a momentous occasion. As the Brazilian international turned to celebrate, he pulled up his shirt to reveal…Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport Business Strategy, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.