tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca-fr/topics/premier-league-6755/articlesPremier league – La Conversation2024-02-01T16:18:26Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2224262024-02-01T16:18:26Z2024-02-01T16:18:26ZHow to make a Premier League club truly climate-friendly<p>Whether it’s the controversy over Newcastle United being taken over by oil-rich Saudi Arabia or the social media backlash when top players take private jets to sign for a new team on transfer deadline day, the environmental implications of elite football are facing growing scrutiny.</p>
<p>At the same time, events like <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12040/12801274/green-football-weekend-returns-help-your-club-fight-against-climate-change">Green Football Weekend</a> – on February 2-5 this year – show how football can change, and even be a force for good in energising a climate change response across wider society. </p>
<p>But what might a sustainable Premier League club look like, now and in future?</p>
<p>Let’s start with day-to-day operations. When I reviewed the evidence on the topic for a recent <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2022.2147895">academic paper</a>, I discovered multiple studies, both from the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.138">UK</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14775085.2021.1932562">overseas</a>, which found that travel constitutes the biggest part of football teams’ carbon dioxide emissions. Of this, the largest share comes from players and supporters travelling to away fixtures. </p>
<p>The wealthier a team is, and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-06141-y">the higher the level it plays at</a>, the higher these emissions are likely to be. Elite teams are more likely to be travelling further for international competitions, and by air to and from domestic fixtures.</p>
<p>One of the most immediate ways a Premier League club can improve its sustainability performance, therefore, is to look at how its players and supporters travel. This means using trains and coaches to get to away games in the UK.</p>
<p>Better coordination between match timings and public transport schedules would help, by ensuring that matches finish in time for away fans to catch the last train back to their home town. This is a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/12/football-daily-email-burnley-luton-tv-fans">common complaint among Premier League fans</a>, whose games are particularly vulnerable to TV schedulers.</p>
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<p>European fixtures at both club and national level are tougher to crack, especially when bodies like Fifa and Uefa are pushing for more tournaments and fixtures rather than fewer. One way to reduce the overall carbon footprint would be to play the early rounds in regional groups, so that teams play those geographically near to them.</p>
<p>The good news is that smart scheduling doesn’t have to mean a drop-off in the quality or competitiveness of top-flight football. Researchers in the US looked at their “big four” sports during the pandemic, when restrictions made it harder for teams to travel and fixtures had to be grouped together. They found the reduction in travel and related decrease in stress on players <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.1c03422">helped to keep things exciting</a> on the field.</p>
<h2>Stadiums and kits</h2>
<p>There are other sources of pollution which are more prominent at the highest levels of football. A big stadium needs to be powered and lit, and grass pitches need water and energy inputs to maintain. Green energy can help with this, and clubs such as Forest Green Rovers are even starting to <a href="https://www.fgr.co.uk/another-way">generate renewable electricity on-site</a>. </p>
<p>The ever-increasing number of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2022.2096661">replica kits</a> that teams produce also comes at an environmental cost. It’s been estimated that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60196764">a polyester football shirt has a carbon footprint of 5.5kg</a> – about the same as driving a petrol-powered car 45 kilometres.</p>
<h2>Follow the money</h2>
<p>But the emissions associated with the everyday running of a football club are just one part of the picture. Companies, individuals and even state-linked investment organisations who make their money from high-emitting industries have an important role in sponsoring or even owning top-flight teams. </p>
<p>This can prompt accusations of “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2015.1127850">greenwashing</a>” or “sportswashing”, where big polluters or other contentious industries use the positive feelings associated with sport to distract from harmful business practices. Such accusations aren’t limited to petro-states. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who recently bought a stake in Manchester United, is the chairman and CEO of Ineos, a chemicals company that has been heavily involved in <a href="https://theathletic.com/4245022/2023/02/25/manchester-united-takeover-jim-ratcliffe-ineos-environment/">oil and gas</a>.</p>
<p>One could therefore argue that a “sustainable” Premier League club would not rely on funding from environmentally damaging activities such as oil and gas production, car manufacturing or aviation. Arts and culture organisations have come under increasing pressure in recent years to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2017.1416904">divest</a> from fossil fuel sponsorship, and organisations such as <a href="https://www.fossilfreefootball.org/">Fossil Free Football</a> are similarly campaigning to break the link between football and high-polluting sponsorship.</p>
<p>These can be difficult conversations to have with supporters. Everyone wants their team to do as well as they can on the pitch, and the most effective way to achieve that is by attracting sponsorship or ownership that can be invested in players and infrastructure. </p>
<p>In some cases, clubs can be intrinsically linked with industries that can be markers of pride and identity locally, but sources of pollution globally. Nagoya Grampus and VfL Wolfsburg, for example, were founded as works teams for Toyota and Volkswagen respectively. So, a <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-a-fair-deal-for-ex-steelworkers-would-look-like-as-the-industry-decarbonises-221797">“just transition”</a> that respects the people and places whose livelihoods depend on carbon-intensive industries may also entail thinking about what the energy transition means for the football teams who are intrinsically linked to high-emitting industries.</p>
<h2>Calls for change</h2>
<p>The climate challenge may seem insurmountable to Premier League teams, precisely because there’s so much money wrapped up in the current way of doing things. However, there are signs that clubs and players themselves are leading the calls for change. <a href="https://pledgeball.org/new-sustainable-travel-charter-for-football-clubs-launched-to-help-teams-reduce-their-environmental-impact/">Bristol Rovers, Bristol City and Millwall</a> from League One and the Championship are among a group of clubs who have adopted “no-fly” policies or sustainable travel strategies for domestic games.</p>
<p>News outlets including the BBC having picked up on <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65017565">Premier League teams flying short distances</a> for fixtures shows that clubs’ environmental practices are coming under greater scrutiny as the climate crisis intensifies. Premier League players in both the men’s and women’s games are likewise speaking up as <a href="https://footballforfuture.org/blog/nikeathletesclimatechampions">“climate champions”</a> to not only campaign for change within football, but also empower their fellow professionals to act.</p>
<p>Green Football Weekend is a great point of departure for thinking about how the sport might change in response to the climate crisis. The fact that events like this are happening regularly shows the needle is shifting on the professional game’s environmental impacts. Getting fans, players and ultimately clubs on board is vital to cracking some of the tougher aspects of football’s climate challenge.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leslie Mabon is an Ambassador for the National Centre for Resilience in Scotland, a cross sector partnership spanning Scottish universities, government and practice which is committed to improving countrywide resilience to natural hazards. Leslie is also an Associate Member of the First Minister's Environmental Council in Scotland; and a Member of the Young Academy of Scotland. However, the views expressed in this Conversation article are personal, and are based on a programme of research Dr Mabon has conducted independently of the above organisations. At the time of writing, Leslie has received no external funding for his work into football and climate change.</span></em></p>An evidence-based look at how football clubs can reduce their climate impact.Leslie Mabon, Lecturer in Environmental Systems, The Open UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221142024-01-30T16:53:08Z2024-01-30T16:53:08ZHow Jürgen Klopp reconnected Liverpool FC with Shankly’s socialist soul<p>In his first press conference after arriving at Anfield in 2015, Jürgen Klopp <a href="https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1224366407757987840?lang=en">stated</a>: “It’s not so important what people think when you come in. It’s much more important what people think when you leave.” </p>
<p>After nine years, his words resonate through the hearts of Liverpool FC fans. On January 26, Klopp <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/jurgen-klopp-announces-decision-step-down-liverpool-manager-end-season">announced</a> that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.</p>
<p>Klopp has given Liverpool fans many memories to cherish. In 2019, his side staged a miraculous comeback against Barcelona on the way to lifting the Champion’s League trophy in Madrid. The following year, he ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a Premier League title.</p>
<p>Klopp inherited a Liverpool squad without any promising potential and a board that lacked vision and desire. Between 2010 and 2015, Liverpool had won just a single trophy – the League Cup in 2012. </p>
<p>However, Klopp delivered his first elite European trophy within three years of being appointed. From that point onward, he’s gone on to win all major trophies, guide Liverpool to four major European finals, and lose out on two Premier League titles by a single point. </p>
<p>Klopp will leave a legacy similar to that of Liverpool’s iconic manager, Bill Shankly. Between 1959 and 1974, Shankly transformed the club from second-division obscurity to three-time English champions and winners of the Uefa cup (Europe’s second-rank club competition). </p>
<p>Shankly endeared himself to fans of Liverpool FC, a club with deep working-class roots, by embracing the ethos of socialism (where individuals work together as a collective) as a fundamental principle for team success. Klopp’s persona as a man of the people – through his style, attitude and background – also strongly resonates with Liverpool’s socialist roots and blue collar community.</p>
<p>For instance, Klopp insists that every Liverpool player must <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-anfield-sign-norwich-jordan-18924539">earn the right</a> to touch the famous “This is Anfield” sign by winning silverware. The iconic Anfield sign was first hung up on the wall of the player’s tunnel by Shankly to remind opponents of the spirit of Anfield.</p>
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<h2>Socialist Spirit</h2>
<p>Klopp has never sought to create a hierarchy between himself, the players and the fans. Early on in his tenure, he referred to himself as “<a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/238155-the-normal-one">the normal one</a>” and has, on several occasions, been spotted sharing a drink with local people in the pub. In his press conferences, Klopp has often said that the team drew <a href="https://www.football365.com/news/klopp-on-cl-inspiration-we-do-it-for-carol-and-caroline">inspiration</a> from the staff at the club’s training ground.</p>
<p>Since his appointment, Klopp has also recognised the power of Liverpool fans, referring to them as the 12th man responsible for supplying energy to the squad. As Anfield reverberates today with the chant “I am so glad that Jurgen is a red”, the echoes of such intense emotions are a reminder for loyal Liverpool supporters of a legacy still sung about around half a century later.</p>
<p>Klopp has brought the same fiery socialist spirit back to Liverpool that Shankly managed to harness in the 1960s. Two managers separated by generations but bound as Merseyside icons who understood that success stems from people.</p>
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<h2>Engaging with the fans</h2>
<p>Like Shankly before him, Klopp has resurrected Liverpool by understanding what the club’s fans craved more than silverware – someone who embodies the club’s working-class soul. A leader to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with through good times and bad. </p>
<p>From Klopp’s iconic fist pumps after victories, to his <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11635563/Humiliated-Jurgen-Klopp-apologises-Liverpools-travelling-fans-Brighton-defeat.html">meaningful apologies</a> to fans during times of crisis, show his authentic relationship with the club and the fanbase. He celebrates goals in nerve-wracking victories by running up and down the sideline (once <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/37638431/when-goal-celebrations-go-bad-liverpool-boss-jurgen-klopp-pulls-hamstring">pulling his hamstring</a> in the process). And he openly <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11635563/Humiliated-Jurgen-Klopp-apologises-Liverpools-travelling-fans-Brighton-defeat.html">asked supporters for forgiveness</a> after a humbling 3–0 defeat by Brighton in 2023. </p>
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<p>Klopp’s outgoing authenticity has also resonated powerfully with Liverpool supporters around the world. He actively embraces fan media like “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theredmentv">The Redmen TV</a>” YouTube channel, and makes an effort to appear in person for interviews and podcasts. He even once wrote a letter to a young fan reassuring him over his feelings of personal anxiety.</p>
<h2>Revolutionary vision</h2>
<p>When Shankly was appointed in 1959, he was frustrated with Liverpool’s training regime and facilities. Previously, players had become accustomed to running on the street as part of their training routine. However, Shankly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy/2018/dec/01/liverpool-boot-room-throw-in-jurgen-klopp-bill-shankly">revamped the training regime</a>, introducing sessions on the training ground where players could run and practice while wearing appropriate football boots.</p>
<p>In a similar way to Shankly, Klopp has helped the club evolve. He insisted on building modern training facilities where the youth academy could be integrated with the first team, and played a part in the development of the club’s new training ground.</p>
<p>Liverpool’s managing director Andy Hughes <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/12134609/liverpool-boss-jurgen-klopp-delighted-with-new-kirkby-training-ground">praised</a> the combined efforts of Klopp, sporting director Michael Edwards and academy director Alex Inglethorpe for their “instrumental role” in creating the new facility. </p>
<p>Klopp’s legacy at Anfield, in the Premier League and in modern football, is beyond doubt. As was the case for Shankly’s successor, Bob Paisley, the next Liverpool manager certainly has big boots to fill.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ronnie is an avid Liverpool FC fan and has carried out research into transforming management practices in English football.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wasim Ahmed 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>Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool with a remarkably similar legacy to the club’s iconic manager, Bill Shankly.Ronnie Das, Associate Professor in Digital and Data Science, AudenciaWasim Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of HullLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2083612023-08-09T14:15:34Z2023-08-09T14:15:34ZWomen’s World Cup: why are there so few female coaches in football?<p>The enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023">Women’s World Cup</a> – fielding a record 32 teams – shows that women’s football is in a healthier state than ever.</p>
<p>According to the FA’s women’s and girls’ football <a href="https://www.thefa.com/news/2022/nov/08/inspiring-positive-change-women-girls-football-strategy-update-20220811">strategy update</a>, across all levels the number of registered female players in England increased by 17% between October 2021 and 2022, while there was a 30% increase in the number of female teams. The number of female referees has increased by 21%, and female coaches have risen by a whopping 75%.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62339532">women’s Euros</a> final in July 2022 enjoyed a sell-out 87,000 crowd at Wembley – and a TV audience of 17.4 million – to see England win its first major trophy since the men’s World Cup in 1966. The FA <a href="https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/">Women’s Super League</a> (WSL), which turned professional in 2018-19, is now shown live on a weekly basis by both Sky Sports and the BBC. And the women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley in May – when Chelsea beat Manchester United – drew a record domestic crowd of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65564608">77,390</a>.</p>
<p>In Spain, Barcelona are setting the standard for world record attendances, with 91,648 fans watching their Women’s Champions League game against Wolfsburg in April 2022. A few weeks earlier, 91,553 fans turned up to see El Clásico – the much-anticipated fixture against their big rivals, Real Madrid.</p>
<p>However, only 12 of the 32 countries that have been competing in the Women’s World Cup are coached by women: England, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, Brazil, China and Panama.</p>
<p>A similarly low number exists in the WSL, and across Europe in France and Spain. Italy, with two female coaches among ten top-division posts, and Germany, with just one of 12, fare even worse.</p>
<p>So, why is there such a dearth of female coaches in women’s football? With the female game on the up, and coaches such as current England boss <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team/squad/Sarina-Wiegman">Sarina Wiegman</a>, and Chelsea Women’s manager <a href="https://www.chelseafc.com/en/teams/profile/emma-hayes">Emma Hayes</a> now well-known faces, why is there such a problem in elite women’s football – and why does it matter?</p>
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<h2>Women need women for inspiration</h2>
<p>Many would argue there’s a need for female coaches at the top levels of women’s football to act as an inspiration for young, aspiring female coaches (and players too, of course). Any young woman considering a career in coaching might be put off by the dominance of male coaches in top roles in the women’s game.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/iscj/aop/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0007/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0007.xml">research</a> led by my NTU colleague Jyoti Gosai has suggested there are a range of factors affecting female coach recruitment, progression and retention in the UK, which combined, make this a complex issue with no simple answer or obvious solution.</p>
<p>These include (at various levels): individual confidence and knowledge; difficulty connecting with other coaches in what may still be seen to be an “old boys’ club”; male-led coach education programmes; and gender role assumptions in wider society. These myriad factors present a minefield when attempting to identify solutions to this complex issue, especially when the barriers may be insidious and hard to recognise.</p>
<p>Some of Gosai’s additional <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/iscj/aop/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0005/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0005.xml?rskey=3hkwg0&result=1&content=abstract">research</a> explains the challenges female coaches face through the “Goldilocks dilemma”. Drawing on anecdotal evidence, many female coaches appear to encounter stereotypical gender bias through three distinct elements.</p>
<p>The first of these suggests when female coaches act in ways that are consistent with gender stereotypes (for example, when they are nurturing), they are often viewed as less competent coaches. However, when female coaches act in ways that are inconsistent with gender stereotypes – meaning assertive and decisive – they’re considered unfeminine. As such, they are never “just right”.</p>
<p>The second element relates to the high competence threshold – women coaches in elite sport face higher expected standards but lower pay than male coaches. And the final element identifies how female coaches can be perceived as competent or likeable, but rarely both. It is possible to be good but not liked, or liked but not good – but not the two together. These insights shed interesting light on the issue.</p>
<h2>A bright future?</h2>
<p>We know more girls and women are now watching and playing football. And more are refereeing and coaching. At the elite level, for the first time we now have a generation of players who are full-time professionals, just like their male counterparts. So what does the future hold for elite female coaches? </p>
<p>Some of the current crop of elite female players will naturally be expected to move into coaching when their playing careers come to an end. Young women and girls getting into football can now see a pathway – whether that’s playing, officiating or coaching, and role models are becoming highly visible at every level. Coaches such as Wiegman and Hayes are changing entrenched mindsets. Through their knowledge, skills and profiles, they are helping to show that female coaches can understand and teach the game as well as any man.</p>
<p>In early 2021, my <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-female-coaches-can-help-bring-professional-mens-football-into-the-21st-century-155529">Conversation article</a> about how female coaches can help bring professional men’s football into the 21st century suggested that women have much-needed qualities that could benefit the men’s game. This followed the story of Hayes being linked with the manager’s job of the men’s team at AFC Wimbledon, potentially becoming the first woman in men’s professional football.</p>
<p>In the end she didn’t take it, but in June 2023 this huge barrier was finally breached – Premier League side <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/01/lydia-bedford-blazes-trail-for-women-as-new-brentford-under-18s-head-coach">Brentford appointed Lydia Bedford</a>, the former Leicester City Women’s manager, as head coach of their men’s under-18 team. This was followed in July by Hannah Dingley becoming the <a href="https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2023/july/historic-appointment-for-dingley/">first woman</a> in Britain to coach a professional men’s first team, when she took up the post of caretaker manager at Forest Green Rovers. </p>
<p>One day soon, we could be seeing female coaches in the men’s game at Championship or Premier League level, as well as dominating team management at the next Women’s World Cup in 2027.</p>
<p>But for that to happen, deeply entrenched stereotypes need to be broken down. This may take time, but at least progress is being made on various fronts for the girls and young women coming through. They deserve the game’s, and society’s, best efforts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208361/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Just 12 of the 32 teams at the Women’s World Cup have female coaches. The game needs to break down some deeply entrenched attitudes to bring more women in as managers at all levels.Pete Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching, Nottingham Trent UniversityJyoti Gosai, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2064472023-05-31T07:11:14Z2023-05-31T07:11:14ZManchester City: how Pep Guardiola’s leadership style formed a squad of champions<p>As the final whistle blew in Nottingham Forest’s <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/nottingham-forest-arsenal-live-stream-premier-league-2023-b2342704.html">1-0 win</a> over Arsenal on May 20, celebrations erupted approximately 85 miles away in the city of Manchester. Thanks to the points Arsenal lost in their defeat, Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the third consecutive year – and for the fifth time in the last six seasons.</p>
<p>Arsenal were <a href="https://theathletic.com/4540648/2023/05/24/premier-league-storylines-mythbusting/">leading the league</a> at the halfway stage, but it’s not unusual for Manchester City to turn the heat up in the second half of the season. They did so before in 2018/2019, <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/match/38514">beating Liverpool to the title</a> on the final day.</p>
<p>Two elements have been crucial to Manchester City’s sustained success – the depth and ability of the squad and manager Pep Guardiola’s leadership style.</p>
<p>Manchester City’s squad depth (the quality of all their signed players, not just the starting 11) can be attributed to their transfer activity over the past three seasons. The club has one of the <a href="https://www.squawka.com/en/premier-league-net-spend-2022-23/">highest net spends</a> in the division, but it was their strategic spending – acquiring players who would fit Guardiola’s plans for the team – that enabled their success.</p>
<p>While the squad already had long-serving, high-performing players such as midfielder <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/players/4288/Kevin-De-Bruyne/overview">Kevin De Bruyne</a> (2015), after Guardiola’s takeover in 2016, adequate cover for the first team was acquired in the form of <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/players/10768/Kalvin-Phillips/overview">Kalvin Phillips</a>, <a href="https://www.mancity.com/players/sergio-gomez">Sergio Gomez</a> and <a href="https://www.mancity.com/players/manuel-akanji">Manuel Akanji</a>. </p>
<p>This means Guardiola has enough quality players to form almost two different starting 11s without sacrificing the calibre of players and playing style. This is something their rivals, Arsenal, did not possess.</p>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16184742.2017.1279203">fierce competition</a> between clubs to access and develop global top talent. To keep up, many are looking for alternative solutions. </p>
<p>One dominant approach is called vertical integration. This is where some club owners – such as City Football Group (CFG), which owns Man City, and Red Bull Sport – acquire satellite clubs in smaller leagues. These smaller or affiliated clubs are then owned or controlled by the main club or organisation. The aim is to secure playing time for young talents who would otherwise be blocked from getting first team opportunities. </p>
<p>CFG <a href="https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/our-story/#:%7E:text=Marinos%20in%20Japan%2C%20Montevideo%20City,and%20partner%20Club%2C%20Club%20Bolivar.">owns satellite clubs</a> in 10 countries, including the US, Japan, Australia and India. Manchester City uses the scouting network of these satellite clubs to learn of players that wouldn’t otherwise be on their radar. They then bring them into the CFG family offering a possible future of playing in the Manchester City first team. </p>
<p>This gives City a competitive advantage over their rivals in <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/who-are-premier-league-big-six-top-english-clubs-nickname-explained/130iokmi8t8dt1k3kudou73s1k">England’s “Big Six” clubs</a>, as none of their competitors have this kind of multi-club ownership model.</p>
<h2>Leadership style</h2>
<p>Guardiola has created a powerful identity at Manchester City. His leadership at the club can be compared to the “<a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Legacy/DHeqMQEACAAJ?hl=en">no dickheads</a>” philosophy of New Zealand’s national rugby union team, the All Blacks. It is based on the belief that the collective culture of a team can be spoiled by one selfish mindset.</p>
<p>This was demonstrated recently in Guardiola’s decision to loan full-back Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich during the winter transfer window. In January and February, <a href="https://theathletic.com/4534976/2023/05/20/how-manchester-city-switched-on-to-win-the-premier-league/">journalists were speculating</a> about the body language and mood of the players in the City dressing room.</p>
<p>One of those players was Cancelo, who <a href="https://theathletic.com/4534976/2023/05/20/how-manchester-city-switched-on-to-win-the-premier-league/">has admitted</a> to feeling unhappy if he didn’t start every game. When Cancelo requested to leave, Guardiola was quick to oblige because he put the team above its individual members. His <a href="https://theathletic.com/4534976/2023/05/20/how-manchester-city-switched-on-to-win-the-premier-league/">staff believe</a> this was a crucial decision in improving team harmony.</p>
<p><a href="https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/19221/1/">Research shows</a> that measuring the effect of a leader on organisational performance is a challenging task. This is because there are multiple factors that can cause a positive or negative impact. But without doubt, while Manchester City had won Premier League titles before the arrival of Guardiola, his leadership has transformed the team. </p>
<p>It has helped them to become “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/15/chelsea-womens-fa-cup-final-lessons-emma-hayes-sam-kerr">hybrid monsters</a>”, who can play with any formation and any player combination and still consistently challenge for European honours.</p>
<p>Manchester City are yet to play in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals. While they are the favourites to win both trophies, football is a funny game and nothing is certain until the final whistle is blown. </p>
<p>Should they emerge victorious, Manchester City will become the second English club to win the treble (League, Cup and Continental Championship) since their rivals, Manchester United, did it in 1999. They will also become the sixth English club to win the UEFA Champions League, cementing their place as one of the best football teams in history.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206447/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarthak Mondal is affiliated with University of Portsmouth. </span></em></p>City have become ‘hybrid monsters’, who can play with any formation and any player combination and still consistently challenge for European honours.Sarthak Mondal, Lecturer in Sport Management, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2063912023-05-26T12:27:25Z2023-05-26T12:27:25ZEuropean soccer is having another reckoning over racism – is it time to accept the problem goes beyond bad fans?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528427/original/file-20230525-15-uk63av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C7679%2C5131&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Vinícius Júnior is making the point, but are soccer's governing bosses getting it?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/vinicius-junior-of-real-madrid-reacts-after-receiving-news-photo/1492456442?adppopup=true">Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After suffering <a href="https://apnews.com/article/vinicius-junior-racism-effigy-arrests-bc445cb4a08441238d1975bd44e137a6">months of racial abuse</a> on the field <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/26/football/vinicius-jr-effigy-real-madrid-atletico-spt-intl/index.html">and off</a>, Brazilian soccer star Vinícius Júnior had enough.</p>
<p>On May 21, 2023, the Real Madrid forward – commonly seen <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/ballon-dor-2023-power-rankings/blt51e9eccbef548b72#cs2b89f3769dac96ed">as one of the best soccer players</a> in the world – brought a halt to a game at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium, pointing to fans who were making blatantly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/may/21/vinicius-junior-sent-off-for-brawl-after-alleged-racism-by-valencia-fans">racist remarks and gestures</a>. </p>
<p>He later made it clear that this was not an isolated event: “It was not the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” <a href="https://twitter.com/vinijr/status/1660379570149683200">he tweeted</a> in reference to the Spanish top division. “The competition considers it normal, the federation considers it normal and the rivals encourage it.”</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://my.vanderbilt.edu/johnsloop/">soccer scholar</a> whose latest book includes analysis of how players, fans and the game’s governing bodies have <a href="https://www.uapress.ua.edu/9780817394547/soccers-neoliberal-pitch/">responded to the Black Lives Matter</a> movement, I believe the latest incident points to how difficult it is to change fan behavior when <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2013.801262">racism remains institutionalized</a> in the sport itself. While it is true that teams and leagues have made progress in signaling their lack of tolerance for racist behavior, there remain systemic problems working against real progress – not least the <a href="https://andscape.com/features/where-are-the-black-managers-in-european-club-soccer/">lack of Black representation</a> in management positions.</p>
<h2>Deep roots of soccer racism</h2>
<p>Soccer has a <a href="https://brockpress.com/2023/04/11/soccer-and-its-long-history-with-racism/">long-established racism problem</a>. Black players throughout the decades attest to both abuse by fans – <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/learning/lesson-of-the-day-when-the-monkey-chants-are-for-you-a-soccer-stars-view-of-racist-abuse.html">monkey chants are still common</a> during games in parts of Europe – as well as more subtle forms of discrimination, such as <a href="https://thesporting.blog/blog/jack-leslie-dropped-from-the-england-squad-for-being-black">being left out of national squads</a> or <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12097859/John-Barnes-says-black-football-managers-unfairly-treated-remarkable-comment-race.html">overlooked for coaching positions</a>.</p>
<p>Black Brazilians such as Vinícius and <a href="https://theconversation.com/pele-a-global-superstar-and-cultural-icon-who-put-passion-at-the-heart-of-soccer-197097">stretching back to Pelé</a> have been subjected to racism both overseas and at home. Indeed, as <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2004/08/how-soccer-explains-world-2/">soccer writer Franklin Foer</a> has pointed out, in the early days of Brazilian soccer Black people were not allowed to play for professional clubs or the national team. Even when finally accepted, some of the star Black players like <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/70531-profiles-of-the-great-and-good-arthur-friedenreich-the-original-black-pearl">Arthur Freidenreich</a> and Joaquim Prado would <a href="https://thesefootballtimes.co/2015/01/10/how-football-and-race-shaped-brazil/">straighten their hair and attempt to lighten their skin</a> in the hope of gaining popularity.</p>
<p>While there has been great change since such times, the roots of subtle and overt racism facing Black soccer players run deep – be it in their home countries or playing for prestigious European clubs.</p>
<h2>Soccer’s Black Lives Matter moment</h2>
<p>While one can argue that there have always been minor attempts to address racism in soccer, it has only really been in the last decade that such efforts have gained steam. And it has been geared very much toward changing attitudes among fans.</p>
<p>For example, in England, the Football Association has long partnered with anti-racist group <a href="https://www.kickitout.org/">Kick It Out</a> to create programs and punishments for racist fan behavior. Meanwhile, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2755921-why-spanish-football-needs-to-do-more-to-combat-racism">the Royal Spanish Football Association</a> has codes for applying financial penalties against clubs with racist fans.</p>
<p>Such anti-racist efforts and messaging increased as part of a more general societal reckoning over racism after the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html">killing in the U.S. of George Floyd</a> by a police officer in 2020.</p>
<p>Soccer authorities – usually <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/sports/soccer/german-player-protest-armbands-world-cup.html">wary of political statements</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-fifa-protests/politics-and-protest-in-sport-have-fifas-rules-changed-idUSKBN2BI2FN">quick to punish players</a> who display protest slogans on shirts – by and large <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/06/02/george-floyd-tributes-players-fifa-statement">allowed players free expression</a> in regard to Floyd’s killing and the protests it sparked.</p>
<p>Indeed, after restarting a pandemic-struck season in June 2020, the English Premier League promoted <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37586955/premier-league-display-no-room-racism-black-lives-matter-kits">an active Black Lives Matter campaign</a>. This included “Black Lives Matter” patches on uniforms – although <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/black-lives-matter-premier-league-22662960">patches were later amended</a> to read “No Room for Racism” – and allowing the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-53098516">taking of the knee</a> before games. Three years on, many players and teams <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/why-premier-league-teams-players-taking-knee/khhgbxnprt5ngoz5jaezdjtu">still take a knee</a> before games throughout England.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Soccer players in yellow and blue and white, and a referee in black, all kneel on the grass." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528420/original/file-20230525-29-zjbd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528420/original/file-20230525-29-zjbd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528420/original/file-20230525-29-zjbd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528420/original/file-20230525-29-zjbd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528420/original/file-20230525-29-zjbd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528420/original/file-20230525-29-zjbd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528420/original/file-20230525-29-zjbd8.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">Players and officials in the U.K. regularly ‘take the knee’ before games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/referee-tim-robinson-and-players-take-a-knee-ahead-of-the-news-photo/1247335754?adppopup=true">John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But it hasn’t stopped the abuse. In 2020, while players on the pitch were presenting a unified front against anti-Black racism, British Home Office Minister Susan Williams observed that racist incidents had risen for the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jan/30/football-related-racist-incidents-sharp-rise-police-kick-it-out">third year in a row</a>.</p>
<p>Soccer leagues in southern Europe <a href="https://www.uapress.ua.edu/9780817394547/soccers-neoliberal-pitch/">tended to leave it to clubs and individuals</a> to respond to the Black Lives Matter movement, rather than having any blanket policies akin to that of the English Football Association.</p>
<p>But again, it appears to have had little effect on crowd racism.</p>
<p>Italian soccer continues to garner a <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/its-2021-and-italian-football-is-still-racist-af">reputation for racism</a> among its fan base. While examples are numerous, the most recent cases include <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/samuel-umtiti-lazio-racism-infantino-28878713">verbal attacks against Lecce defender</a> Samuel Umtiti and forward Lameck Banda <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/05/football/gianni-infantino-italy-racism-football-spt-intl/index.html">while playing at Lazio</a>, and racists taunts against Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2023/4/5/romelu-lukaku-racism-inter-milan-juventus-italian-football">after he scored</a> against Juventus in a Copa Italia semifinal.</p>
<p>In Spain, after the latest Vinícius incident, football federation chief Luis Rubiales <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/spanish-football-admits-it-has-racism-problem-after-vinicius-incident-2023-05-22/">acknowledged that racism</a> was a problem in the league. It would be hard not to: The abuse of May 21 was <a href="https://onefootball.com/en/news/if-vinicius-tells-me-he-doesnt-want-to-play-ill-leave-too-real-madrid-star-after-more-racism-37530066">at least the 10th</a> racist incident against the Brazilian star that Real Madrid has reported to the league this season.</p>
<p>The diplomatic fallout of the Vinícius abuse – Brazil <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/spanish-football-admits-it-has-racism-problem-after-vinicius-incident-2023-05-22/">summoned the Spanish ambassador</a>, and Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/christ-redeemer-statue-displays-support-vinicius-jr-against-racism-2023-05-22/">was shrouded in darkness</a> in protest – has reignited discussion of what action needs to be taken to stamp out racism in the game.</p>
<p>Spanish police have <a href="https://apnews.com/article/vinicius-junior-racism-effigy-arrests-bc445cb4a08441238d1975bd44e137a6">made several arrests</a> over Vinícius’ abuse. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65691729#:%7E:text=Valencia%20have%20also%20been%20fined,that%20part%20of%20the%20sanction.">La Liga has fined Valencia</a> – the team Real Madrid was playing – 45,000 euros (US$48,000) and closed a portion of the stadium for the next five games.</p>
<p>But given how persistent crowd racism has been in the face of numerous attempts to challenge it, I believe it is fair to ask if such disciplinary actions will have any real impact now.</p>
<h2>Counter-cosmopolitanism</h2>
<p>Continued racism in European soccer comes despite a rise in soccer’s “cosmopolitanism” culture. Prior to the 1990s, Black players in the top European leagues were relatively few and far between – especially in countries where nonwhite players <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-apartheid-european-racism-and-pele-helped-cultivate-a-culture-of-diversity-in-us-soccer-that-endures-into-the-mls-197172">would fear being subjected to racist taunts</a> from their own supporters, as well as the opposition’s.</p>
<p>But modern-day fans have long become accustomed to supporting a racially diverse team. So why does racism in stadiums persist? Political scientist and sociologists <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/polisci/people/faculty/andymark.html">Andrei Markovits and Lars Rensmann</a> point out in “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691162034/gaming-the-world">Gaming the World</a>” that the rise in cosmopolitanism on the field is not reflected in the stands – that is, in European leagues, the makeup of fan bases is not as diverse as that of the team they go to cheer on. Markovits and Rensmann argue that what we are witnessing in the stands is a kind of “counter-cosmopolitanism” in which the “other” is treated with anger and suspicion because they are deemed to threaten the stable sense of identity of some fans.</p>
<p>If the racial makeup of teams is not reflective of the fan base, it also isn’t reflected in management, or among the people who govern the sport.</p>
<p>Analysis <a href="https://andscape.com/features/where-are-the-black-managers-in-european-club-soccer/">conducted in May 2022</a> found that of the 98 clubs that played in the five most prestigious European leagues – the English Premier League, La Liga, and Italy’s Seria A, along with Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 – only two had Black managers. La Liga had none, <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.us/primera-division/trainervergleich/wettbewerb/ES1">and still doesn’t</a>.</p>
<h2>Failing the Sterling standard</h2>
<p>As England striker Raheem Sterling <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/09/raheem-sterling-english-football-black-managers-campbell-cole">noted in a 2020 interview</a>: “There’s something like 500 players in the Premier League and a third of them are Black, and we have no representation of us in the hierarchy, no representation of us in the coaching staffs.”</p>
<p>While there is certainly some merit in the actions being taken in Spain to address behavior in the stands in the aftermath of the latest Vinícius incident, there is an argument that it is too little, too late. Moreover, it does little to address more institutionalized racism in the game. And to date, anti-racism programs and fines have failed to stamp out racism in soccer.</p>
<p>As Sterling noted, “When there’s more Black people in positions, when I can have someone from a Black background … (to) be able to go to in the [Football Association] with a problem I have within the club – these will be the times that I know that change is happening.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206391/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John M Sloop 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>Anti-racist programs and fines have failed to end racism in European soccer. Part of the problem is that Black players have little representation higher up the sport’s hierarchy.John M Sloop, Professor of Communication Studies, Vanderbilt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2025292023-03-31T11:33:00Z2023-03-31T11:33:00ZManchester United: the business tactics that could lead to a record multi-billion-pound sale<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518419/original/file-20230330-23-pzod8w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C29%2C4837%2C3173&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Red Devils.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/manchester-england-july-6-2014-old-472196257">iLongLoveKing/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It seems that another item can now be added to the long list of things that are getting more expensive: football clubs. The bids coming in to buy Manchester United, reportedly in the <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/12841672/manchester-united-takeover-sheikh-jassim-bin-hamad-al-thani-submits-new-bid-to-buy-premier-league-club">region of £4.5bn</a> (the owners are said to want £6bn) would make it the largest amount ever paid for a club.</p>
<p>Given that the current US owners, the Glazer family, bought Manchester United in 2005 for <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/manchester-united-how-scavenger-glazers-bought-club-and-left-old-trafford-rusting-and-in-a-mess-12752952">around £800 million</a>, the current valuation makes it unsurprising that a sale may be <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/12753492/manchester-united-ownership-glazer-family-open-to-selling-the-club">on the cards</a>. </p>
<p>But can a football club, even one as famous as Manchester United, really be worth £6bn? </p>
<p>For comparison, in 2021 one of its rivals, Newcastle United, sold for a fraction of that sum, at around <a href="https://theconversation.com/newcastle-united-buying-a-football-club-can-still-be-lucrative-with-the-right-business-tactics-169584">£300 million</a>. Yet given that Newcastle had been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/may/23/football">bought for £133 million in 2007</a> (about £200 million in today’s money), that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/oct/07/english-football-will-sell-itself-to-anyone-human-rights-groups-on-saudi-newcastle-deal">controversial sale</a> was still seen as providing a decent return.</p>
<p>But it was Chelsea, sold in May 2022, which started the sale bonanza among the biggest British clubs. Manchester United, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3770928/2022/11/07/fsg-liverpool-for-sale/">Liverpool</a> and <a href="https://www.insidesport.in/spurs-takeover-jahm-najafi-ready-to-buy-tottenham-hotspur-set-to-submit-whopping-3-1-billion-price-to-buy-spurs-from-enic-group-check-out/">Tottenham Hotspur</a> have all been linked to potential sales since then. </p>
<p>Chelsea had been bought for <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3036838.stm">£140 million</a> by Roman Abramovich in 2003, when it was struggling financially. Two decades later, its <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/chelsea-fc-sale-boehly-led-consortium-signs-purchase-agreement-to-buy-club-12607230">£2.5 billion</a> price was achieved despite the club being what is known as a “distressed asset” (something that needed to be sold because Abramovich had been <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/abramovich-and-deripaska-among-seven-oligarchs-targeted-in-estimated-15bn-sanction-hit">sanctioned by the UK government</a>), meaning that bids were probably lower than if the sale had been on the open market.</p>
<p>Crucially though, Chelsea had also become a more impressive club, winning a number of trophies (two Champions League, two Europa League, five Premier League titles and five FA Cups). (The profit from the Chelsea sale is now <a href="https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/club-news/uk-government-confirm-decisions-over-proceeds-from-chelsea-sale/">earmarked for humanitarian causes in Ukraine</a>.)</p>
<p>Another important element behind a club’s value is, of course, how much any potential owner is willing to pay. Research suggests that owning a football club is generally something that <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1071503/Assessing_the_financial_sustainability_of_football__web_accessible_.pdf">loses money</a>, so owners normally fit one of three categories.</p>
<p>First, there are those who view clubs as a trophy asset; second, fans or local benefactors who want to support their side; and third, those that think they can make money from the club by making changes. </p>
<p>The Glazers fall squarely into the last category, and took the opportunity to buy a club through a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/manchester-united-glazers-debt-explained-b2145746.html">leveraged buyout</a> – in essence, using comparatively little of their own money – and taking money out annually through dividends.</p>
<h2>Financial goals</h2>
<p>That leveraged buyout meant that some of the money used to buy the club was secured against the club itself, like a mortgage, so the debt was borne by the club rather than the owners. </p>
<p>And that debt was considerable. Over the ownership of the Glazers, <a href="https://www.footballinsider247.com/manchester-united-magurie-glazers-have-paid-over-800m-in-interest/">£837 million</a> has been spent on interest payments alone. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Protestor with anti-Glazer placard." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518428/original/file-20230330-19-kkrq40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518428/original/file-20230330-19-kkrq40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518428/original/file-20230330-19-kkrq40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518428/original/file-20230330-19-kkrq40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518428/original/file-20230330-19-kkrq40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518428/original/file-20230330-19-kkrq40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518428/original/file-20230330-19-kkrq40.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">Not every fan is a fan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/manchester-uk-april-24-2021-protest-1963364416">John B Hewitt/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another reason for the increase in value of clubs has been the increase in revenue they can generate. The Premier League, for example, has been significantly increasing its income from <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c5c2e3fa-8dc4-4b2d-8f64-f92e8cef9b01">selling overseas broadcasting rights</a> (the latest US deal is more than <a href="https://theathletic.com/4185209/2021/11/18/premier-league-agrees-new-six-year-us-tv-deal-worth-more-than-2-billion/">double its previous one</a>), and this leads to more money for the clubs. <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/news/1280062">Increasing global interest</a> in the Premier League has also added value to the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14660970.2022.2059855">small number of clubs </a> which feature in it. </p>
<p>Other things that affect the value of clubs have nothing to do with football. For example, the pandemic led to the <a href="https://www.1776totyranny.com/uploads/5/7/3/7/57370495/billionaires_are_getting_richer_during_the_covid-19_pandemic_while_most_americans_suffer.pdf">very rich getting richer</a> and so there is more disposable income at the billionaire potential owner level. </p>
<p>But ownership comes with plenty of risk too and, like winning matches, financial success is never guaranteed. Around 40% of football clubs in the top four leagues of English football have <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1071503/Assessing_the_financial_sustainability_of_football__web_accessible_.pdf">gone into administration</a> since the Premier League began, including eight of the original 22 Premier League members. </p>
<p>The culture of <a href="https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/50052/1/Evans%20et%20al.%20%282021%29.pdf">spending above your means</a> in English football may, in the long term, be tempered by the proposed <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-sustainable-future-reforming-club-football-governance">implementation of an independent regulator</a>. In the meantime football club ownership remains, for most, a loss-making business. </p>
<p>For the Glazers though, selling their club for around £5 billion would surely be seen as a big win. They put in relatively little of their own money to buy it, have taken money out in dividends, and are now expected to make a massive profit on the sale price. <a href="https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/manchester-united-owners-publicly-lambasted-bayern-munich-285032">Divisive tactics</a> they may have been, but very lucrative too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202529/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Philippou is affiliated with the RAF FA and teaches on a Premier League education course.</span></em></p>Football club ownership is risky, but the Glazer family have played by their own rules.Christina Philippou, Principal Lecturer, Accounting and Financial Management, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1977582023-01-29T14:22:07Z2023-01-29T14:22:07ZA study of close to half a million soccer fans shows how group identity shapes behaviour<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505963/original/file-20230123-11-me17cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4056%2C2695&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Argentina fans celebrating their team's World Cup victory walk past a mural of Diego Maradona in Buenos Aires. While shared nationality is a factor, most fans typically think about players in terms of their club team.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Mario De Fina)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On Dec. 18, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/18/lionel-messi-argentina-france-world-cup-final/">Argentina defeated France</a> after penalties in what some have called the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/19/football/argentina-france-best-world-cup-final-spt-intl/index.html">greatest World Cup final ever</a>. For one month the attention of soccer fans from Brazil to Morocco was devoted to their national teams as the Seleção Canarinho, Atlas Lions and 30 other teams battled through the tournament in Qatar.</p>
<p>Now fans’ focus is returning to Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan and other clubs, as the major domestic leagues resume matches. Argentina’s hero, Lionel Messi and France’s superstar Kylian Mbappé, rivals on the pitch in Qatar just a few weeks ago, are now back in their familiar roles as teammates at Paris Saint-Germain. </p>
<p>Soccer players compete for a professional club but also hail from different, sometimes rival, countries. This duality provides a natural laboratory to study a question that has preoccupied social scientists for decades: How do our group memberships affect our behaviour? We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26187-x">recently published research</a> from a study on the impact of group identity on behaviour among over 400,000 soccer fans from 35 countries.</p>
<p>We found that national identity leads to more in-group support from fans but team identity has no effect. And that soccer fans offer less support for players who have left the club they support.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of football fans one of whom is waving a Canadian flag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505959/original/file-20230123-7706-5w9ly8.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">Canada fans cheer the Canadian soccer team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Shared national identity can lead to players receiving more support from fans.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Us vs. Them</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html">Social Identity Theory</a> holds that group membership provides us with a sense of belonging and raises self-esteem. We tend to categorize people in terms of group memberships, dividing the world into “Us” and “Them.” We often favour individuals belonging to our same social group and discriminate against those in the out-group.</p>
<p>Studying this behaviour is difficult. Experiments offer a way to isolate effects, but laboratory studies are usually highly artificial and experiments set in the real world typically require participants to make decisions based on very little information. These factors limit how far findings can be generalized.</p>
<p>To overcome these challenges, we partnered with a popular soccer app, <a href="https://forzafootball.com">Forza Football</a> to design an experiment studying the role of social identities in decision-making. The experiment was conducted during Forza’s annual poll to determine the world’s best soccer player.</p>
<p>We randomly altered the information users saw on the ballot in the 2018 poll to include either the players’ nationality, their professional club or just their name and photo. Forza users saw one of these three ballots and clicked on the player they thought was best.</p>
<p>The 10 players in the poll played for 10 different clubs and hailed from 10 different countries. After <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/26/wild-champions-league-final-sees-bicycle-goal-mo-salah-injured/">a record breaking 2018 season</a>, it was no surprise Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah won the poll.</p>
<h2>Shared nationality a factor</h2>
<p>We also knew users’ favourite clubs as well as their nationality. This allowed us to test how individuals vote when a player was presented as either belonging to their social group or being from an out-group.</p>
<p>For example, when we showed a Belgian Manchester United supporter that <a href="https://www.mancity.com/players/kevin-de-bruyne">Kevin de Bruyne</a> is Belgian, we create a shared identity. But if we show the same person that de Bruyne plays for rival club Manchester City, we create an unshared identity.</p>
<p>We found strong evidence of in-group favouritism based on national identity. Presenting players’ nationalities in addition to their names and photos increased in-group voting by 3.6 per cent compared to when nationality was absent. </p>
<p>On the other hand, providing information about a player’s professional club didn’t change voting behaviour. In other words, a person was more likely to vote for a player who is of the same nationality. While a fan sharing a club with a player had no effect on voting. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two soccer players wearing black and red outfits running on a pitch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505962/original/file-20230123-5967-kd3xaf.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">Belgian soccer player Kevin De Bruyne (left) celebrates with his Manchester City teammate Norwegian Erling Haaland after scoring a goal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Jon Super)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So, a Portuguese user who saw that Cristiano Ronaldo is Portuguese, for example, was significantly more likely to vote for him than a Portuguese user who saw a ballot with just names and photos.</p>
<p>The disparate effect of shared club and national identity is likely due in part to the prominence of each identity. Soccer fans typically think about players in terms of their club team, not their national team. As a result, our subtle prime was more effective in raising the salience of the national identity than club affiliation.</p>
<p>We also measured how strongly fans identify with their favourite team and their nationality. It turns out, unsurprisingly, the effect of nationality on voting is greatest among individuals for whom that identity is more important.</p>
<h2>Voting for and voting against</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in a red soccer outfit kick a football." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505966/original/file-20230123-17-2qx1ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah scores his sixth goal during a Champions League match against Rangers F.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Scott Heppell)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People not only voted for their in-group, they voted against candidates in their out-group. Professional soccer players sometimes change teams in transfers. </p>
<p>This creates a great test of the idea that individuals actively vote against someone they view as an out-group candidate. </p>
<p>For example, in 2017 Mohamed Salah <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2713686-mohamed-salah-liverpool-agree-to-long-term-contract-after-roma-transfer">moved to his current club</a>, Liverpool, from the Italian team AS Roma. This means for Roma supporters, Salah was in the in-group but is now in the out-group.</p>
<p>When presented with a ballot highlighting the fact a former in-group member is now in the out-group (on a different team), users were significantly less likely to vote for the player.</p>
<p>For these fans, providing team information caused a 6.1 per cent decrease in voting for an out-group player. </p>
<h2>Sports matters beyond the field of play</h2>
<p>Recent research by a team of political scientists has indicated star players like Salah <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2019/06/06/mo-salahs-goals-help-to-tackle-islamophobia-in-liverpool?linkId=100000006633012&utm_campaign=Link_Description&utm_content=Social_native_videos&utm_medium=Economist_Films&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Social_Issues">can reduce prejudice</a>. They found Islamophobia declined in the Liverpool area because of Salah’s presence.</p>
<p>But what happens when Salah stops scoring or changes team? Our results suggest sports fans might be quite fickle and that strongly identifying with the in-group is directly related to a backlash effect toward out-groups.</p>
<p>Sports reflect, reveal and shape major social, economic and political values and changes. Sometimes sports is used to bridge or widen ethnic, racial, religious and partisan divides.</p>
<p>For example, researchers have studied racial bias by looking at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/02/25/what-the-nba-can-teach-us-about-eliminating-racial-bias/">foul calls in the NBA</a>, how <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/research/nation-building-through-football-africa-cup">sports success can help unite</a> divided societies and how <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/interfaith-soccer-muslim-christian-tensions-positive-contact">playing sports together</a> can foster co-operation. Our study follows this trend and provides insights from the sports world on how group identity affects behaviour.</p>
<p>The effect of perceiving a shared or unshared group identity is likely small in any particular interaction. But the results of our large-scale study suggest relatively small changes in the prominence of group identities can alter behaviour. This has implications for how ballots are designed, how advertisers target, how social justice campaigns are rolled out and myriad other decision-making scenarios.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197758/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Studying how shared identities like nationality and club affiliation impact fan support for soccer players can tell us how our group memberships affect our behaviour.Daniel Rubenson, Professor of Political Science, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityChris Dawes, Associate Professor of Politics, New York UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1892232022-09-05T16:38:00Z2022-09-05T16:38:00ZVAR: I used motion capture technology to show why the Premier League gets tight offside decisions wrong<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482012/original/file-20220831-11-hl5j8l.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1063&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pooya Soltani</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a recent Premier League game, Manchester United went 2-0 up when striker Marcus Rashford ran on to a pass and slotted the ball past Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Alisson Becker. The game was then held up briefly while the “video referee” checked whether Rashford was ahead of the last defender, Joe Gomez, when the pass was made. The difference between onside and offside – between goal or no goal – can be tiny:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1561828690547310593"}"></div></p>
<p>Indeed, the margins can be so small that simply placing the camera at a slightly different angle could make a big difference. This problem of camera angles, and how they affect our perception of offside calls, is what encouraged me to use my expertise in 3D motion capture technology to explore the accuracy of video refereeing systems.</p>
<p>Video assistant referee (or VAR) technology was first introduced in 2018 to help referees review decision for goals, red cards, penalties and mistaken identity. Since then the total number of fouls, offsides and yellow cards has <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/24748668.2019.1646521?journalCode=rpan20">decreased</a>. </p>
<p>On the other hand, VAR has <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/24748668.2020.1788350">increased</a> the total match time while reducing the effective playing time. The final VAR outcome is determined by a human operator in an office far from the stadium – who may of course be prone to human error – before being relayed to the on-pitch referee.</p>
<p>Yet another VAR controversy arose recently as the on-pitch referees accepted Newcastle United and West Ham goals against Crystal Palace and Chelsea respectively, only for those goals to be disallowed after VAR reviewed them. These decisions were heavily criticised in the media and now PGMOL, the referees’ body, has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/sep/04/premier-league-request-review-of-controversial-var-decisions">promised to “fully co-operate”</a> with a Premier League review of the incidents.</p>
<h2>Why offsides are so hard to judge</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-11---offside">Law 11</a> of association football states that a player is in an offside position if any of their body parts except their hands and arms are in the opponents’ half and closer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent (the last opponent is usually, but not necessarily, the goalkeeper).</p>
<p>Referees and assistant referees need to identify the exact moment the ball was kicked and check the position of often fast-moving players at the same time. If in doubt, they can review the video footage of the incident. These videos are often recorded at 30 frames per second, yet the video may still become blurred because the players move so quickly.</p>
<p>It is therefore unclear whether the current video replay technology is accurate enough to deal with the narrowest offside situations. To find out, I used optical motion capture technology which records the position of the players and the ball in 3D and with higher accuracy, and so can be used to validate the outcomes of 2D video systems.</p>
<p>I created some offside scenarios in a laboratory and asked volunteers to act as the players and the VAR. In each scenario, one player passed the ball to their teammate who was standing next to an opponent. </p>
<p>I placed reflective markers on the players and the ball and recorded their 3D positions with a motion capture system. I also recorded the scenes with video cameras placed at different viewing angles. Then I asked ten college students to watch the pre-recorded events, and to determine the ball-kick moment and identify whether the player was offside. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yGZhEnrrSCI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Motion-tracking in the lab.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>My results were recently published by the <a href="https://commons.nmu.edu/isbs/vol40/iss1/158/">International Society of Biomechanics in Sport</a>.
I showed that people on average judge the offside moment as being later than the actual moment the ball was kicked by 132 milliseconds, or 0.13 seconds. </p>
<p>Such a delay may not seem a lot, but in fast-paced games like football, it could be enough to put players in another location and therefore make them offside. For example, assuming that a player is moving at about 8 metres per second, a delay of just 0.13 seconds could correspond to about 1 metre.</p>
<p>When viewing videos taken from 0 and 90 degree angles (from raised positions in line with the players and behind the goalkeeper), participants were more likely to be accurate. At a 45° viewing angle and when the image of the attacker is to the left side of the defender, sometimes the attacker appeared to be closer to the goal line, resulting in wrong offside judgments. </p>
<p>Similarly, when the attacker was on the right side of the defender, even when he was offside, sometimes he appeared to be next to the defender. It seems that these wrong decisions are the results of relative optical projections of the two players at this camera viewing angle.</p>
<h2>How to reduce these biases further</h2>
<p>As there is still a human element to VAR, it seems impossible to remove all potential errors and biases and achieve 100% accuracy. Nonetheless, there are several things we could do to reduce these biases further. These include higher frame-rate cameras that could determine ball contact and offside moment in slower motion.</p>
<p>For marginal offside decisions, VAR should replace its current one-pixel line with thicker lines to represent the uncertainty zone. Where the lines overlap, those situations could be deemed as onside.</p>
<p>Finally, in case a parallel or perpendicular view of the event is not possible, VAR should be checked with other camera angles. In the longer term, VAR could use “volumetric video” that captures the scene in 3D and can be viewed on flat screens as well as in 3D displays or VR goggles.</p>
<p>These technologies might not ever completely resolve the question of whether or not Rashford was offside – football fans, players and managers love a good argument. But it should not be over millimetres.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189223/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pooya Soltani 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>What happened when we recreated football scenarios in a laboratory.Pooya Soltani, Researcher, Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1888432022-08-17T16:08:08Z2022-08-17T16:08:08Z#EmptyOldTrafford: why Manchester United’s attempt to recruit global fans may be backfiring<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479628/original/file-20220817-14-e6u3rp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=64%2C0%2C4219%2C2793&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">United fans are calling for a stadium boycott – but the majority live thousands of miles from Old Trafford.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/manchester-england-old-trafford-stadium-on-634430981">warasit phothisuk/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After years of underachievement on the field, Manchester United was supposed to bounce back this Premier League season.</p>
<p>But an opening game home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, followed by an embarrassing capitulation away at Brentford, has left United bottom of the Premier League, with zero points. This has prompted former club captain Gary Neville to assert that the club has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/rock-bottom-former-players-tear-into-man-utd-after-brentford-defeat-2022-08-14/">now reached rock bottom</a>. </p>
<p>In protest, fans have taken to social media to <a href="https://talksport.com/football/1168517/man-utd-fans-protest-glazers-liverpool-empty-old-trafford/">call for a boycott</a> of United’s next game, Monday’s home clash against historic rivals Liverpool. Organised around the hashtag #EmptyOldTrafford, many posts take aim at the club’s owners, the Glazer family, who <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/manchesterunited/news/manchester-united-owners-glazer-family-voted-the-worst-owners-in-the-premier-league">critics accuse</a> of prioritising the club’s commercial activity and global reach over performance on the pitch.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1557646862861090817"}"></div></p>
<p>As part of a longitudinal research project monitoring football clubs and social media, we sampled 21,610 tweets featuring the #EmptyOldTrafford hashtag between Saturday 13 August to Monday 15 August 2022. What we found was striking. It appears that a majority of Twitter users encouraging fans not to attend the Liverpool game are based outside the UK and may never even have attended a game at Old Trafford.</p>
<p>This would suggest that the club’s strategy of recruiting fans worldwide for commercial reasons may be backfiring. In building a huge following across the world, United may also have inadvertently cultivated a community of global social media activists intent on influencing how the club is run.</p>
<h2>United’s commercial success</h2>
<p>Fans, followers and pundits frequently target the blame for United’s descent from greatness at its owners, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/glazer-1/?sh=1ea7e272615e">the Glazers</a>, a family of US sports entrepreneurs who took control of the club in 2005.</p>
<p>The Glazers’ focus on the commercial development of United has seen the club constantly feature towards the top of financial performance and brand valuation league tables. In 2012, it generated US$478 million (£396 million) in revenues, which reached a pre-pandemic peak of <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/267735/revenue-of-manchester-united/">US$796 million in 2019</a>. </p>
<p>Such revenues are also a result of the club’s pursuit of overseas fan engagement. This appears to have been very successful. In one study, it was estimated that United has <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-united-fans-news-latest-16771943">1.1 billion worldwide fans and followers</a>. In another study, it was identified that the Manchester club has upwards of <a href="https://ilovemanchester.com/manchester-united-most-popular-social-media">170 million followers</a> across all social media platforms. That’s enough to fill Old Trafford 2,292 times.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Thai Manchester United fans" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479616/original/file-20220817-8144-7olb0l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479616/original/file-20220817-8144-7olb0l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479616/original/file-20220817-8144-7olb0l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479616/original/file-20220817-8144-7olb0l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479616/original/file-20220817-8144-7olb0l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479616/original/file-20220817-8144-7olb0l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479616/original/file-20220817-8144-7olb0l.jpeg?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">Manchester United is regarded as the world’s most-supported sports team.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/unidentified-thai-fans-action-during-liverpool-2176923739">mooinblack/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Fan frustration</h2>
<p>In May 2020, United fans’ frustration about poor results manifested itself in a <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/manchester-united/story/4375511/man-united-supporters-protest-glazer-ownership-outside-team-hotel-ahead-of-liverpool-clash">pitch protest</a> against the Glazers, leading to a home game against Liverpool being postponed. Just last season, fans had also planned <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/united-protest-glazers-73rd-minute-23834041">mass walkouts</a> during games to express their discontent, but few fans <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/18440364/man-utd-mass-walkout-glazer/">actually left the stadium</a> on these occasions.</p>
<p>This time around, calls for a walkout have been amplified by social media. Our map of accounts using the #EmptyOldTrafford hashtag shows that United fans and followers from a multitude of countries have been calling for people to stay away from the game against Liverpool, including significant clusters in the US, west Africa and India.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A map showing global clusters of twitter activity" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479612/original/file-20220817-16-n38bxd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The protest hashtag has been used across the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wasim Ahmed</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We themed the tweets according to their content, colour coding them on our map. Some explicitly criticised the owners, while others focused on encouraging loyal fans to join the protest. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A table of the themes grouped by the researchers" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479618/original/file-20220817-7861-m7scnz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479618/original/file-20220817-7861-m7scnz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=219&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479618/original/file-20220817-7861-m7scnz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=219&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479618/original/file-20220817-7861-m7scnz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=219&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479618/original/file-20220817-7861-m7scnz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479618/original/file-20220817-7861-m7scnz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479618/original/file-20220817-7861-m7scnz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We grouped tweets into four main themes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Simon Chadwick</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Curiously, we noted that of the inflammatory aggressive clusters, the biggest is centred in Nigeria. One reason for this could be that the club has a significant fan base in the west African country, perhaps following its signing-on loan in 2020 of Nigerian international <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51335993">Odion Ighalo</a>. Another reason could be that <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/sports/sports-gist/manchester-united-news-nigerian-celebrities-react-to-erik-ten-hags-brentford/cprnffb">Nigerian celebrities</a> including Adekunle Gold, Uche Jombo and Mayorkun have ridiculed Manchester United online.</p>
<p>There is a third explanation. It’s possible that <a href="https://www.axios.com/2021/04/13/trolls-misinformation-facebook-twitter-iran">Nigerian troll farms</a> are being specifically engaged to spread the #EmptyOldTrafford hashtag, though by whom and for what purpose is unclear. What is clear from our work is that the largest number of Twitter accounts involved in the hashtag were only established this year. That’s often a sign that accounts have been created for a specific purpose.</p>
<p>It could be that fans are joining Twitter with the intention of supporting the protest. Alternatively, one might argue that new users are more vehement in expressing their views about United and the Glazers. But if troll farms have helped the #EmptyOldTrafford hashtag trend on Twitter, it suggests there are some worrying new developments on social media that top football clubs must address.</p>
<h2>Pressure on the Glazers</h2>
<p>Manchester United fans will be aware that ticket revenue accounts for a tiny proportion of the club’s total income. If the #EmptyOldTrafford protest is successful and the stadium is conspicuously empty for the Liverpool game, it may only serve as a passing embarrassment for the club’s owners.</p>
<p>But a football club with global ambitions is subject to global scrutiny and criticism, especially in the age of social media. A one-off stadium protest may not rattle sponsors and commercial partners, but the ongoing discontent of the global audience they’re trying to reach may well do. </p>
<p>Even if the atmosphere at Monday’s fixture is muted, our findings suggest that United’s global fan base has found its voice. It’s that development, rather than events in Manchester, that may ultimately encourage the club’s owners to address United’s decade-long slide to Premier League mediocrity. </p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/social-media-and-society-125586" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479539/original/file-20220817-20-g5jxhm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=1" width="100%"></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188843/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Social media calls for a boycott of the club’s upcoming match against Liverpool seem to mostly becoming from outside the UK.Wasim Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Digital Business, University of StirlingAlex Fenton, Head of Centre for Professional and Economic Development, University of ChesterSimon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy, SKEMA Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1683282021-09-20T15:44:34Z2021-09-20T15:44:34ZJimmy Greaves: English football’s top goalscorer who blazed a trail of stardom and redemption<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422124/original/file-20210920-23-12qyzlz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1815%2C605&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jimmy Greaves was the most prolific goalscorer in top-flight English football.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">@SpursOfficial</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Watching the surviving film of the football work of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/sep/19/jimmy-greaves-peerless-player-whose-legacy-is-etched-in-football-history">recently departed</a> England international striker, Jimmy Greaves, is a stark reminder of the vastly different playing regimes that existed in English football in the early 1960s compared to the manicured Premier League era of today. </p>
<p>Greaves played in two winning FA Cup finals for Spurs, in 1962 and 1967. FA cups were about the only “live” club football available on TV to the British public at the time, but these were occasions celebrated not only for the trophies concerned. These were also among the few fixtures for which the players involved could look forward to a playing surface that did not resemble some boggy no-man’s-land dragged up from a first world war reconstruction. </p>
<p>ITV is currently broadcasting The Big Match Revisited, a highlights’ show from the early-1970s. This routinely reminds us that the science of pitch preparation and recovery had barely knocked on the door of the English game – certainly not in the months after Christmas. </p>
<p>This was the case even as Greaves’ career was fast winding down. He played in a period when hulking defenders had the weight advantage over high-stepping, slight forwards. But many contemporaries contend that Greaves could glide over these muddied fields leaving marking defenders flailing in his wake. It certainly looks that way from the few surviving film clips.</p>
<h2>Striker without peer</h2>
<p>Like the troubled and brilliant George Best – who was at his peak around the same time – Greaves would end up having more than one public persona. Firstly, there was “Greaves” the player – the lazy team-mate without the ball, but a man who came alive when in possession and who, single-minded, thought of only one outcome: scoring goals. “I often passed to him”, his Spurs strike partner Martin Chivers ruefully observed on TV after the news of Greaves’ death broke on September 19, “but I never expected a pass back.” </p>
<p>Greed is generally prized among the very best strikers even today, though scoring goals is a team pursuit. And Jimmy Greaves remains the <a href="https://www.worldfootball.net/alltime_goalgetter/eng-premier-league/tore/1/">top scorer in top-flight English football</a>, with 357 goals from 516 matches compared with the next player on the list, Alan Shearer, who scored 283 goals in 559 matches. Few would bet on this record being overtaken anytime soon.</p>
<p>Then there was “Jimmy”, the style merchant (he even played one season in Milan) and playful dressing room joker. A notoriously poor trainer, Greaves – or so we were told – would cut corners, or even <a href="https://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/the-giller-memorandum/greavsie-was-the-best-ive-seen-before-messi/">hitch lifts from milk floats</a> during cross-country pre-season stamina work. Surely not all these tales can be apocryphal. </p>
<p>“Jimmy” was also a friend to fans and to the lowliest of boot-cleaning apprentices – accessible and charming in equal measure. He only ever earned <a href="https://thethaiger.com/talk/topic/5443-obituary-jimmy-greaves/">£100 per week</a> during his last top level playing stint in the early 1970s at West Ham United, so unlike today’s multimillionaire players, Greaves was never too far away from the people who worshipped him.</p>
<h2>Alcoholism and redemption</h2>
<p>Which brings us to “Greavsie”, the social animal, the drinker. There is speculation that it was being left out of the WorldCup final-winning side in 1966 that pushed “Greavsie” into excessive drinking and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58625401">eventually alcoholism</a>. This is something he would always deny, pointing out that he went on to top score in the league the following year and that Spurs won the FA Cup largely on the back of his prolific goalscoring.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1439882630548410371"}"></div></p>
<p>Though like Georgie Best – or, more recently, the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Paul Merson and other talented working-class showmen – and with little in the way in those days of a positive support network and a secure bank balance, preparing to depart the elite sporting stage in 1971 was probably a too difficult transition to manage, alone and intact.</p>
<p>Unlike today, players then could drink with journalists, fans and others without the constant threat of exposure by mobile phone. Drinking cultures were part of the dressing room of all the top British clubs before global recruitment began. In 1982, champions Liverpool were <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8489163/Liverpools-thrashing-Man-City-not-semi-detached-response-winning-league.html">on the bevvy</a> on the afternoon <em>before</em> their final league game at Middlesbrough. </p>
<p>But, unlike with Best’s fate, it was another dimension of Greaves that probably saved him from an early grave. It was the knockabout, cartoonish “Greavsie” who starred alongside Ian St John, the straight man in their Saturday afternoon “Saint and Greavsie” ITV show from the mid-1980s. Greaves was the one gently poking fun at the game and its conventions.</p>
<p>Today, the blending of sport and entertainment is ubiquitous and all-too-depressingly familiar. But this was an early and novel departure. For those of us who had caught even a glimpse of the real Greaves in his pomp – immaculately groomed, sharp suits, fast feet, brilliant finishing – this latest reinvention was a little difficult to accept. </p>
<p>But it brought the middle-aged Greaves something of a national treasure status and perhaps offered some compensation for a lack of more formal recognition. Scandalously, he received an MBE only in 2021. When asked about how he should be announced on the after-dinner speaker circuit he often told his hosts: “Just call me Jimmy Greaves, FA.”</p>
<h2>Thanks for the memories</h2>
<p>The death of Jimmy Greaves is another reminder, of course, of how important public memory still is in telling stories about sport’s great performers of the past. Today, every moment of the careers of elite football players is recorded or tracked in some way. For Greaves and others of his generation, we rely much more on our emotions: how did he make us feel?</p>
<p>And perhaps this is no bad thing, a welcome escape from the iron cage of data analysis. We can all have our own memories of a true great of the English game, embroidered, invented or otherwise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168328/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Williams 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 most prolific goal scorer in the history of top-flight English football, Greaves slid into alcoholism but fought his way back to become a household name on television.John Williams, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1663092021-08-27T09:15:52Z2021-08-27T09:15:52Z‘Harder than I’d expected’: top players on why joining Premier League from abroad is so tough<p>The new football season has seen the return of fans, and the return of big money transfers. Ahead of the transfer window closing at the end of August, big names joining the English Premier League from overseas include <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/aug/14/manchester-united-confirm-signing-of-raphael-varane-from-real-madrid">Raphael Varane</a> (to Manchester United from Real Madrid for £42 million) and <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/12375524/romelu-lukaku-chelsea-break-club-transfer-record-to-re-sign-striker-from-inter-milan-for-97-5m">Romelu Lukaku</a> (to Chelsea from Inter Milan for £97.5 million). </p>
<p>The clubs’ owners and fans will no doubt hope their expensive new players hit the ground running and provide immediate impact. Yet these moves do not always work out, with players sometimes failing to live up to their potential. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352411901_Exploring_migration_experiences_of_foreign_footballers_to_England_through_the_use_of_autobiographies">Our research</a> explains why players moving to the Premier League can struggle to adjust. Bought and sold for sometimes huge sums, their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970.2021.1930535">personal stories</a> reveal some of the key challenges they face off the pitch. </p>
<p>To begin with, like anyone moving to another country, players and their families must adjust to a new and unfamiliar environment. Finding somewhere to live, making friends and choosing schools must be done alongside the public pressure of their new footballing role. </p>
<p>There may also be a language barrier, which can affect performances on the pitch and a player’s ability to communicate with teammates and coaching or medical staff. As former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres, who moved from Spain, <a href="https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/torres-el-nio-my-story-fernando-torres?variant=32754833096782">recalls</a> of the various knocks he sustained in his early months in England: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you don’t explain your symptoms properly, you can end up being given the wrong treatment. If you can’t explain exactly where the pain is, and what kind of pain it is, it can hinder your rehabilitation. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another former Liverpool star, Luis Suarez, who arrived from the Netherlands, <a href="https://www.headline.co.uk/titles/luis-suarez/luis-suarez-crossing-the-line-my-story/9781472224255/">relied on gestures</a> to communicate when he first moved there and said he was not able to play to his full capabilities as a result. </p>
<p>Research also suggests that players who don’t speak English well are seen as “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430430701388772">more foreign</a>” by the media and fans. They may be portrayed as being motivated by short-term financial gains, uninterested in adapting to a club’s or country’s culture, and lacking dedication. They are also often the first to be blamed for a poor team performance. </p>
<p>Certainly, media coverage of football in England can be <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44438608">ore intense</a> than in other countries, and foreign players (and managers) often struggle to adapt to <a href="https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/doi/full/10.1177/1012690212463917">this extra scrutiny</a> and pressure. The French former Manchester United forward Eric Cantona believed the English media liked to “<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6411653-cantona">dig up dirt</a>” and criticise every mistake. </p>
<p>Another adjustment involves new ways of playing and the <a href="https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/guardiola-shocked-premier-leagues-physicality">particularly intense physicality</a> of the Premier League. Migrating overseas to work can be demanding in any sector but football players have the added complication of staying healthy and avoiding injury. </p>
<p>Matches and training are draining, and as former Southampton defender Maya Yoshida <a href="https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/unbeatable-mind-maya-yoshida?variant=32610342142030">has pointed out</a>, players in England do not enjoy the benefit of a winter break to recharge their batteries, both mentally and physically.</p>
<p>Players’ families can also struggle with moving to a new country, with challenges including adapting to the new culture and very different weather in England. Even everyday tasks like getting “used to a new way of driving”, as <a href="https://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/3303">mentioned by</a> ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, can present obstacles. </p>
<p>If their families find the move difficult, this can put additional strain on the player. As former Chelsea striker <a href="https://www.hodder.co.uk/titles/didier-drogba/commitment/9781473623781/">Didier Drogba noted</a> after arriving from France:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The move to England had been harder than I’d expected. I had a lot to adapt to both in terms of the language and the team’s way of playing, and my family had a difficult time adapting as well. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Game plan</h2>
<p>After investing millions of pounds on a player, expecting immediate results is understandable. But given these challenges, it is important that clubs and fans remember the human side of football, and the fact that players need time to adapt.<br>
The club in particular has a key role to play in supporting the well-being of new players, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1943475.Vieira">who frequently mention</a> the support of their new manager as being crucial to settling in and feeling welcome. But this relationship is not always straightforward when transfers are coordinated or decided by <a href="https://www.football365.com/news/who-is-in-charge-of-transfers-at-each-premier-league-club">transfer committees and directors</a>.</p>
<p>For <a href="https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/torres-el-nio-my-story-fernando-torres?variant=32754833096782">Torres</a>, Liverpool FC provided English teachers and interpreters for him to help with tasks such as how to buy a house in a foreign country. These forms of support can help players feel welcomed and settled, leading to improved <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08824096.2015.1052900">performances on the pitch</a>. Low levels of social support can be associated with mental health issues and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/occmed/article/65/3/190/1479375">declines in performance</a>. </p>
<p>As the 2021/22 season gets underway, Raphael Varane has acknowledged the importance for him of <a href="https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/raphael-varane-says-he-wanted-to-learn-english-to-be-close-to-the-man-utd-fans">learning to speak English</a> soon, to be close to fans, as well as his new manager and teammates. </p>
<p>Club rivalries aside, he might do well to seek advice on British life from his fellow Premier League arrival. Lukaku played for Chelsea previously alongside the <a href="https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/romelu-lukaku-chelsea-text-message-cesar-azpilicueta-1157223">current team captain</a>, César Azpilicueta, spending almost ten years in England before moving to Italy. He may settle in more quickly and be a safer bet – even at £97.5 million.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166309/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This article is derived from a journal paper that was co-authored with Aaron Lally: Aaron Lally, Matt Smith & Keith D. Parry (2021) Exploring migration experiences of foreign footballers to England through the use of autobiographies, Soccer & Society, DOI: 10.1080/14660970.2021.1930535</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Smith 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>Clubs should not ignore the human side of buying and selling players.Keith Parry, Deputy Head Of Department in Department of Sport & Event Management, Bournemouth UniversityMatthew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of WinchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1641962021-07-09T12:33:56Z2021-07-09T12:33:56ZWhat the Euro 2020 referees can teach the Premier League<p>The performances of the referees during the Euro 2020 tournament have been almost universally <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/30/refereeing-and-var-among-the-unlikely-highlights-of-euro-2020">praised</a>. They have contributed to an extremely exciting tournament. So instead of controversial refereeing decisions, the focus has been on the quality of the football being played and the return of supporters to stadiums. </p>
<p>Referees have not been routinely criticised (as is usually the case), even when a questionable decision divides pundits. For instance, the penalty awarded to England for the foul on Raheem Sterling in the semi-final against <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12351311/england-2-1-denmark-kasper-hjulmand-bitter-over-raheem-sterling-penalty-call-in-euro-2020-semi-final">Denmark</a>. </p>
<p>The games have benefited from the quality of refereeing. So much so that many, like ex-footballer Gary Lineker, have asked the Premier League to take note.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1412489832673296384"}"></div></p>
<p>Perhaps the acceptance of the odd mistake is because there have been so few errors by referees in the first place. Perhaps this acceptance is also because the media, pundits and commentators are fundamentally pleased that the tournament is taking place at all after its postponement due to COVID-19. Maybe the refs are being given some leeway because of these factors. Nevertheless, they have been very consistent in this competition. </p>
<h2>Improved use of VAR</h2>
<p>Refereeing decisions at Euro 2020 have been clear and the laws of the game have been applied in the same way, no matter the referee, their country of origin or the nationality of the teams on the pitch. </p>
<p>Research has suggested that this is not always the case at major <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Elite-Soccer-Referees-Officiating-in-the-Premier-League-La-Liga-and-Serie/Webb/p/book/9780367231170">international tournaments</a>. Indeed, referees at international tournaments are often criticised for not officiating in the same way, and this is usually due to the fact that national leagues and competitions are different.</p>
<p>Euro 2020 appears to have bucked this trend and there are a number of lessons that competitions, such as the Premier League, could take from this to assist referees moving into next season. </p>
<p>At Euro 2020, Video Assistant Referees (VAR) have been used much more sparingly and has been consigned to background checks of contentious incidents for the majority of the matches. A minimal number of on-pitch decisions have been overturned. The decision has to be clear and the error obvious. </p>
<p>This approach maintains the authority of the on-field referee. It might sound like a minor factor, but if we remember back to the last Premier League season, VAR was front and centre in a significant number of matches and poorly received by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/02/var-given-thumbs-down-by-fans-for-premier-league-study">supporters</a>, with on-field decisions overturned regularly. This arguably eroded the confidence of the on-field referees and the trust in these referees from players, supporters and the media. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-tricky-business-of-cross-cultural-refereeing-27946">The tricky business of cross-cultural refereeing</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>VAR intervention was not always perceived as accurate and referees were asked to review the monitor at the side of the pitch more often than in Euro 2020. The infrequency of such incidents during Euro 2020 has been far less intrusive for supporters, both at the stadium and watching the matches on <a href="https://theconversation.com/goal-or-is-it-how-technology-and-not-just-var-is-changing-sport-121838">television</a>. </p>
<h2>Let it flow</h2>
<p>For the Premier League, this lack of VAR intrusion should be a template for the future. For instance, the use of the offside lines, superimposed onto the screen to measure the body position of players to judge whether they were offside, were often criticised due to perceived <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55139175">inaccuracies</a>. These decisions also took too much time to arrive in the Premier League, in Euro 2020 this has not been an issue, with decisions often made more <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/var-euro-2020-referees-uefa-b1869715.html">rapidly</a>. </p>
<p>It seems referees have also been instructed to let the game flow wherever possible. Consequently, matches have resulted in high numbers of goals and in high quality football, such as the matches between Croatia and Spain and France and Switzerland (both ending 3-5). </p>
<p>The instructions from European football’s governing body <a href="https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/">Uefa</a> to the referees selected for the tournament have obviously been clear and therefore interpreted in the same way by all referees, no matter the match or the teams involved. It shows that VAR can be utilised and that clear and obvious errors can be dealt with and corrected – but only when absolutely necessary. </p>
<p>Other national leagues should take note. Not only has this approach improved the spectacle for fans, but it has meant that referees – and their decisions – are not constantly the topic of conversation. If referees have been commented upon during this tournament, it has more often than not been from a positive perspective. How refreshing would that be in the Premier League next season?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164196/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Webb 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 Premier League could learn a thing or two from Euro 2020’s referees.Tom Webb, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, University of PortsmouthLicensed 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>
<figure class="align-center ">
<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">
<figcaption>
<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>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<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/1555292021-03-08T12:09:24Z2021-03-08T12:09:24ZHow female coaches can help bring professional men’s football into the 21st century<p>As the 2020 American NFL season drew to a close with <a href="https://www.skysports.com/nfl/news/12118/12212427/tom-bradys-magnificent-seven-the-legendary-quarterbacks-seven-super-bowl-triumphs">Tom Brady</a> winning his record seventh Super Bowl, it was interesting to note another sporting first: the three women involved in the game – <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30839921/nfl-diversity-push-spurs-another-milestone-two-female-coaches-referee-super-bowl-lv">two coaches</a> and one official.</p>
<p>With eight women currently coaching in the NFL, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to parity, but it does seem that women are finally breaking into elite men’s sports coaching in the US. </p>
<p>Sadly, the same cannot be said about most major team sports in the UK. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/54911500">Many elite sports</a>, including rugby and <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/news/riise-female-coaches-can-enter-mens-game/vi-BB1dx0J3">cricket</a> have a poor record in this regard. But perhaps the most high profile sport yet to embrace female coaches is professional football (soccer).</p>
<p>One contributing factor may be that when experienced top flight female coaches are linked to men’s football, the expectation seems to be that they should start at the bottom. Consider the case of Emma Hayes, the manager of Chelsea – the reigning Women’s Super League champions. Despite this leading position, Hayes was recently linked with the vacant manager’s job at the men’s side AFC Wimbledon – a team which is currently struggling to clear the relegation zone of the third tier of English football in League One. </p>
<p>Hayes <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/12206672/emma-hayes-shuts-down-afc-wimbledon-rumours-and-will-stay-on-as-chelsea-women-boss-in-wsl.">shot down</a> the rumours and said they were an “insult” to the women’s game, adding:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t know why anyone would think women’s football is a step down (in comparison to men’s). The football world needs to wake up. While the game is played by a different gender, it’s exactly the same sport.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So while slow <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/number-of-women-on-uk-boards-up-50-25-but-parity-challenges-remain/ar-BB1dZ2ub">progress</a> is being made in other areas of life, not a single woman has been welcomed into coaching in men’s professional football in the UK to date.</p>
<p>But why? <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ssj/23/2/article-p142.xml">Numerous studies</a> over the last decade or so have focused on the issue of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13573322.2012.666966?journalCode=cses20">power</a> in men’s football. In particular, they’ve highlighted the autocratic culture of dominance and subordinance that has existed in certain clubs. </p>
<p>This is seen in coaches and managers controlling many aspects of the football environment and demanding total compliance from their players (particularly younger players), regardless of how this might sit with contemporary notions of equality, rights and inclusivity. For example, the studies cited coaches using aggressive language, humiliation and bullying as tactics to instil fear and create compliance in players. It is doubtful that such an environment would continue like this with female coaches around, as research shows their approach tends to be very different.</p>
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<h2>Cycle of masculine ideas</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/13573322.2019.1710698">Research in 2020</a> suggested that coaches begin to develop their coaching beliefs (that later turn into coaching practice) through their childhood and playing careers. In addition to playing experience, the coaching experience they gain at lower or developmental levels – and the mentors they learn from – are often cited as major factors. These social and cultural experiences shape future coaches in significant and often unconscious ways.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly then, if male coaches play football as juniors in male environments, play professionally in the male game, coach at academy level for professional male teams and are mentored by other elite male coaches, their experiences of the power-dominated male football culture may predispose them to this form of autocratic coaching. So the men’s game can become trapped in a cycle of power-dominted practice, with little room for manoeuvre. </p>
<p>Male coaches also dominated women’s football in England until recently. Today, eight of the 12 managerial roles in the Women’s Super League are filled by women. But only two years ago that figure stood at just four. At the national level, Sarina Wiegman, the current Netherlands head coach, is shortly set to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53781554">take over</a> the England Lionesses after the former England international, Phil Neville <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jan/18/phil-neville-steps-down-as-head-coach-of-england-women-with-immediate-effect">resigned</a>.</p>
<p>Wiegman is one of few female coaches, worldwide, who has coached at the professional level in the men’s game, having worked as an assistant coach for a single season at Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch league in 2016.</p>
<h2>What female coaches bring</h2>
<p>Female coaches, many of whom may have played a range of sports in addition to football, may have experienced very different environments to men and so have been shaped in very different ways.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.womeninsport.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Coaching-Female-High-Performance-Athletes.pdf#:%7E:text=Similarly,%20the%20female%20athletes%20acknowledged%20that%20female%20coaches,have%20to%20have%20played%20at%20the%20highest%20level.">a survey</a> published in 2015, elite female athletes want to be able to talk to their coaches about anything. They want to be comfortable in asking questions and receiving answers, with input, negotiation and flexibility. This is certainly what I have observed in my time as both a researcher and coach developer and appears to be in stark contrast to the autocratic male style of coaching highlighted by previous studies.</p>
<p>One of the few studies to consider <a href="https://thesportjournal.org/article/influence-of-gender-on-perceptions-of-coaches-relationships-with-their-athletes/">this issue</a> noted that female coaches (again, typically ex-elite athletes) were considered to have a higher quality of relationships with their athletes and greater empathy than male coaches.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xqqcP-DktNw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Back across the Atlantic to American Football, Jennifer King broke additional new ground in 2020 when she became the first black female coach with a men’s team with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/55827258">Washington</a> when appointed as assistant running back coach. Of the 14 teams who made the NFL playoffs in 2020, six included female coaches among their staff. On this subject, King <a href="https://www.washingtonfootball.com/news/jennifer-king-first-female-african-american-female-assistant-position-coach-nfl">said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t think it’s an oddity that those play-off teams had so many female coaches involved because those coaches created cultures of growth and inclusion and those things generally create wins.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It might be hard to imagine now, but the qualities female coaches can bring – and the differences to what male coaches may currently provide – might just be the ingredient that professional football (not to mention other <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/54911500">elite sports</a>) has been missing to help bring the game in the UK fully into the 21st century.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155529/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pete Holmes 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>Female coaches experience very different environments to male coaches and have been shaped in very different ways.Pete Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1426912020-08-07T10:30:22Z2020-08-07T10:30:22ZChampions League: what you need to know about Man City, ‘sportswashing’ and future of Financial Fair Play<p>The <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53671401">Champions League is back</a> underway, after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Manchester City have successfully appealed a ruling that would have seen them banned from the competition and are resuming their bid to win the most coveted trophy in European football. </p>
<p>The club recently saw off one of their biggest challenges in recent years – a 20-month <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/man-city-ban-champions-league-fine-uefa-financial-fair-play-rules-a9336866.html">legal battle</a> with European football’s governing body UEFA.</p>
<p>In July, the <a href="https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_6785_Decision.pdf">Court of Arbitration for Sport</a> (CAS), an international body established to settle sports-related disputes, found in favour of City’s appeal against sanctions for “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations committed between 2012 and 2016.</p>
<p>The decision meant that a two-year ban from European competition was overturned, but it came up short of full exoneration with a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53387306">€30 million fine reduced to €10 million</a>. This, CAS said, reflected the club’s culpability to the lesser charge of failing to cooperate with UEFA’s club financial control body. </p>
<p>The more serious allegation of “dishonest concealment” of revenue attracted from sponsorship deals – otherwise known as financial doping – was thrown out, much to the delight of the Abu Dhabi-owned club. <a href="https://www.mancity.com/news/club/club-statement-uefa-cas-verdict-63730222">City officials thanked CAS</a> for its “due diligence and due process” claiming “validation of the club’s position”.</p>
<h2>Why this happened</h2>
<p>In 2009, UEFA proposed FFP to try and curb European clubs’ inflationary spending on player transfers and wages. The new rules were rolled out on a staggered basis from 2012 with full implementation by 2015 and a “break-even” requirement as the main pillar of financial discipline.</p>
<p>As FFP would ultimately prevent wealthy owners from bankrolling clubs from their own vast resources, it was telling how in 2010-2011 City recorded English football’s biggest ever financial loss of £197 million a year before winning a first league title for nearly 40 years.</p>
<p>The club was sanctioned for FFP breaches in 2014 when the rules had come into force, albeit £33 million of a £49 million fine was returned three years later as City met with operational and financial measures put in place by UEFA. </p>
<p>It was thought that increased commercial revenue from Man City’s improved success had helped the club turn its losses into profit to now comply with FFP. That is until <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/international/manchester-city-exposed-bending-the-rules-to-the-tune-of-millions-a-1236346.html">leaked documents</a> alleged City had misled UEFA by inflating the value and disguising the true financial source of some commercial deals that led back to the club’s owners.</p>
<h2>Reputation and relations</h2>
<p>CAS’ recent ruling, based on <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-city-cas-verdict-ffp-18678521">“insufficient evidence” and “time-barred” dealings</a>, has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jul/14/a-good-day-for-football-pep-guardiola-defends-manchester-city-cas-verdict">left many frustrated</a>. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp described the decision as “bad for football”, while Tottenham’s Jose Mourinho branded it “disgraceful”.</p>
<p>Bullish to the end, City boss Pep Guardiola insists his club deserves an apology. “We were damaged,” said the Spaniard. “The people say we cheated and were lying – and many times. The presumption of innocence wasn’t there.”</p>
<p>The significance of Guardiola’s point about damage to reputation should not be understated. While a two-year Champions League ban could have left a £200m hole in City’s revenues, money is perhaps not the primary motive for multi-billionaire football club owners from territories such as Abu Dhabi.</p>
<p>Research suggests that what appeals to the owners of some of the world’s biggest football clubs are so-called “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19406940.2014.966135">soft power gains</a>”. Or in other words, countries whose political and human rights records have drawn criticism in the past, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13600826.2013.827632">like to invest heavily in elite sport</a>.</p>
<p>Countries such as Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and China have all increasingly aligned themselves with elite sports and mega-sports events in the pursuit of improved international relations and geopolitical acceptance. This is sometimes referred to as “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/sportswashing-newcastle-takeover-latest-man-city-ffp-a9557241.html">sportswashing</a>” their image. </p>
<h2>Final whistle for FFP?</h2>
<p>For parent company City Football Group then, whose pan-global interests stretch from Manchester to Mumbai, New York to Melbourne and Yokohama to Sichuan, Girona, Lommel and Montevideo, reputational damage could have <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614367.2014.964291">far-reaching and lasting effect</a>.“ </p>
<p>Nonetheless, there are those who believe the CAS decision <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/man-city-ban-uefa-champions-league-news-ffp-a9615846.html">has undermined FFP</a> to the point of no return and that the balance of power has shifted towards super-rich clubs intent on outspending their rivals regardless of cost. </p>
<p>But there are others who feel the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jul/13/manchester-city-cas-decision-not-mean-end-of-financial-fair-play-uefa">system is not completely broken</a>. UEFA, for one, might point to how Europe’s top leagues have generated more than €4.3 billion in operating profits over the past five years. This is in stark contrast to combined operating losses of more than €740 million reported in the five years from 2009 prior to FFP. </p>
<p>As proponents will say the system works if everyone plays by the same rules, opponents claim FFP serves simply to maintain the traditional economic status quo in European football – old money preventing new money from joining an exclusive elite. </p>
<p>Time will tell what the fallout really means for club ownership, FFP and <a href="https://www.footballbenchmark.com/documents/files/UEFA%20Club%20Licensing%20Benchmarking%20report_2020_FY%202018.pdf">UEFA</a>. For now, Manchester City will rest safe in the knowledge that regardless of how they fare in this season’s delayed Champions League competition, they will be sat at the top table again next year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142691/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Randles 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>City can rest safe in the knowledge that should they win this season’s delayed Champions League competition, they will get the opportunity to defend the title next year.David Randles, Senior Lecturer in Sports Journalism, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1414902020-06-25T22:38:45Z2020-06-25T22:38:45ZLiverpool, Premier League champions: ‘A proud supporter of the Reds, I felt blue for 30 years. No longer’<p>What were you doing 30 years ago? Were you even born? Let me mark your card here. Research at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN">CERN</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland">Switzerland</a> by British computer scientist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee">Tim Berners-Lee</a> in 1989-90 would eventually result in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web">World Wide Web</a>, linking <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext">hypertext</a> documents into an information system accessible from any node on the network (thanks for that, Wikipedia). In other words, the internet was just being conceived.</p>
<p>There was no social media back then, little reality TV. Mobile phones – when you knew someone who had one – were like bricks. Elton John was top of the charts – can’t remember what with, but it was probably on a compact disc. </p>
<p>Try describing this cultural and information wasteland to anyone under 30 today. It sounds like an era of steam engines, sticky-backed plastic, string and cardboard. And it was the last time my team, Liverpool FC, were league champions in England. When you grow up with your football team winning, 30 years is a lifetime. </p>
<p>So it was a bit bizarre, watching two clubs, Manchester City and Chelsea, neither of which I’d ever want to win anything, knowing that if Chelsea could stop City winning, Liverpool would secure the greatest prize in English football, for the first time in 30 years.</p>
<p>And when, 13 minutes from the end, with the scores level – still enough for Liverpool to take the title – Chelsea scored a penalty to go 2-1 up against ten men, I knew it was finally heading to Anfield. There was nobody in the stadium to burst into rapturous applause, but hearts were racing across Merseyside, and around the world among followers of Liverpool FC.</p>
<h2>It’s been a long wait</h2>
<p>Back in the summer of 1990, I had just blagged a gig for The Times to write a piece about fans at the European Cup final in Vienna: <a href="https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/video/classics/0233-0e67b2243d91-76c9a44d62a5-1000--1990-final-highlights-milan-1-0-benfica/">AC Milan 1, Benfica 0</a>. Everyone was perfectly behaved and I remember composing some stupid remark home about these wonderful people and how little street theft and disorder there was in places abroad such as Milan. Until, of course, I actually visited Milan.</p>
<p>Back then, this was about the only way that English fans could connect to elite continental football. We were still banned as a country from European club football because of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-32898612">Heysel Stadium disaster</a> in 1985 where 39 people died and 600 were injured as some of my club’s fans disgraced themselves and the nation in Brussels – and plenty of people back home had had about enough of dismal stadia and the brutality of English fan culture. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344174/original/file-20200625-33557-v567sv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344174/original/file-20200625-33557-v567sv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344174/original/file-20200625-33557-v567sv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344174/original/file-20200625-33557-v567sv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344174/original/file-20200625-33557-v567sv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344174/original/file-20200625-33557-v567sv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344174/original/file-20200625-33557-v567sv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Liverpool till I die: the author in 1968 as a young footballer with Bootle Grammar under-15 side, Merseyside Schools.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The shame of Heysel, weirdly, seemed only to spur Liverpool FC to new heights on the pitch, confirm the club’s domestic power and its importance for local people. We even won the domestic double in 1986, almost did it again in 1988, and almost did it again in 1989. Famously, losing the title to Arsenal in 1989 in dramatic, last gasp, fashion came only weeks after the shock of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19545126">Hillsborough disaster</a>. We were still in turmoil. I sat on the steps of the Kop that night as Arsenal celebrated, thinking that Liverpool winning the league title again wouldn’t have felt right with so many dead fans to grieve for. I wasn’t heartbroken at defeat.</p>
<p>One more league title did come, in 1990, but by then our charismatic managers and the great Liverpool players of this era – Kenny Dalglish was still manager, but his glory days were behind him. And so many others – a stellar roll call – Souness, Hansen, Rush, even John Barnes, were gone, past their best or retired. Their replacements were often sub-standard. It was the end of a glorious road, 25 years of fantastic success.</p>
<h2>Wilderness years</h2>
<p>Liverpool FC would now lose traction, fall behind their key rivals. This was mainly because the club was still run as a superior corner shop, reluctant to embrace change – club secretary Peter Robinson even opposed new computer software for the finance staff. </p>
<p>But it was also because the longer-term baggage of these awful disasters of the 1980s engulfed the club, its staff and its supporters. The old Anfield boot room aura of competitive coaching advantage would now no longer work in this new, more global, age of sports science, international player recruitment, and billionaire foreign owners. Buying the best of British was no guarantee of success, as it once had been for Liverpool in the 1970s and 1980s.</p>
<p>The aftermath of Hillsborough also produced an agenda for nationwide stadium modernisation, a moment when the game itself in England was completely reconstructed and repackaged. This came with the birth of the brassy new, commodified FA Premier League in 1992, the rise of satellite TV as a major new funder for English football, and the globalisation of the elite levels of the English game, made possible by new technology and new marketing and communication techniques. Liverpool FC took time to reconnect, still stuck in their old ways.</p>
<h2>Klopp rules the Kop</h2>
<p>It has taken 30 years for us to get back to the very top – the occasional wonderful European triumph and other domestic trophies notwithstanding (I have seen them all). We almost went under completely in 2010, rescued by our current owners, the Americans at FSG, only at the 11th hour in the High Court. In 2014, a cruel Steven Gerrard slip robbed us, at the last, of a certain title. There were tears on the Kop.</p>
<p>A year later, and a hippy-looking, bearded smoker breezed in from Germany, apparently drunk on Kool-Aid, to tell us that Bill Shankly himself had been resurrected with a dentist’s smile, and that he was going to build a new fortress at Anfield. This new coach was soon even scolding his own supporters in the Liverpool Main Stand for leaving matches too early. Who was this guy?</p>
<p>Jurgen Klopp has somehow whizzed Liverpool football club back to the 1960s, when the city was iridescent and its ambitious young Scottish manager and his players believed anything was achievable – and then went on to show how. The “<a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/what-is-heavy-metal-football-how-has-jurgen-klopp-used-it-at/gvxzni0i7rne1enr3bayptwcr">heavy metal</a>” global team Klopp has built in five years, with its Dutchmen, Brazilians, Africans and Brits, is the best I have seen at Anfield – and I have pretty much seen them all. It may even be the best ever to play at the highest level in the English game. It is close to perfect.</p>
<p>Which is why it is both agony and ecstasy now, watching Liverpool, my club, claim this first title for 30 long years, not from my Block 207, Row 15, Seat 60 place on the Kop, but from the unwelcome comfort of my living room. Nobody is even sitting in the stadium where I should be. At least the season has not been voided as some scared accountants and club chief executives initially wanted. And not even Pep Guardiola’s brilliant Manchester City could stop us. </p>
<p>But COVID-19 has meant our own, long-awaited, 19th league title will have to be consumed and celebrated home and alone. It is hard to take – I do want to get out and scream – but after 30 years, and in the current circumstances, I can live with that.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141490/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Williams 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>Liverpool fan John Williams has banished the ghosts of 30 years. Liverpool are champions of the English Premier League and, as far as he is concerned, things are as they should be.John Williams, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1386852020-05-15T10:09:47Z2020-05-15T10:09:47ZAs football returns in empty stadiums, four graphs show how home advantage disappears<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335353/original/file-20200515-138644-26g2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/milano-italy-23th-october-2019-uefa-1609493932">Shutterstock / Marco Canoniero</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For millions of football fans, we’ve had nothing but repeats to watch to get our fix in recent months. But starting from May 16, elite European football kicks off, courtesy of the German Bundesliga. But there will be a few differences. </p>
<p>Given that there will be a packed schedule of matches to finish before the end of July, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/coronavirus-bundesliga-five-substitutions-relegation-season/1e2sjn7de7jlh1tepdom41ibts">teams can make five substitutions</a> rather than the normal three. But the most obvious difference will be that these matches will take place without spectators. Games will be held in empty, cavernous stadiums. These will not be neutral venues, as has been proposed for completing the English Premier League, but research shows empty grounds can effectively mean a removal of “home” advantage.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSMS-05-2017-088/full/html">few</a> <a href="http://ftp.iza.org/dp8105.pdf">studies</a> show that home fans can influence the outcome of football matches through the pressure they put on the referee. There is evidence, for example, that referees award more injury time when the home team is losing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1162/0034653053970267">and less when the home team is winning</a>, systematically shortening or lengthening the game to favour the home team, and this is affected by how many fans are present.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335355/original/file-20200515-138620-us4t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335355/original/file-20200515-138620-us4t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335355/original/file-20200515-138620-us4t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335355/original/file-20200515-138620-us4t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335355/original/file-20200515-138620-us4t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335355/original/file-20200515-138620-us4t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335355/original/file-20200515-138620-us4t0.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">Home advantage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dortmund-germany-december-10-2015-fans-351446033">Ververidis Vasilis / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most results on the effects of fans are based on changes in a few hundred or thousand fans from one match to the next. We are among a few sports economists to have studied <a href="https://www.carlsingletoneconomics.com/uploads/4/2/3/0/42306545/closeddoors_reade_singleton.pdf">the effect of playing in closed stadiums</a>.</p>
<p>Historically, most closed doors matches have been imposed on clubs and their fans as a punishment – for <a href="https://www.football365.com/news/feature-seven-big-games-to-have-been-played-behind-closed-doors-coronavirus">violence</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/oct/29/bulgaria-ordered-to-play-next-two-matches-behind-closed-doors-over-england-racism">racist abuse</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49910626">corruption</a>. Studying the history of European football since the second world war, we found 191 closed doors matches across the top Italian and French leagues, and in European club competitions. We found none in the English and German top leagues, and only one in Spain’s La Liga. Most of these matches were after 2002.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335178/original/file-20200514-77239-148vatu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The number of closed door matches in European football by competition and season since 2002/03.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Carl Singleton</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We have found that the considerable home advantage in football is on average almost entirely wiped out in closed doors matches. Historically, home teams win 46% of the time in matches with fans, but only 36% of the time when there are no fans. The away team wins 26% of the time with fans, and 34% without fans.</p>
<p>These differences are primarily because the home team scores fewer goals when there aren’t any fans. The chart below shows the average differences between matches with fans and without them since 2002, with negative values implying that an outcome was smaller or happened less often in closed doors matches, and vice versa for a positive value.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335179/original/file-20200514-77230-18g7krq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The outcomes in closed doors matches vs in all others since the beginning of the 2002-03 European football season. Bands show 95% confidence intervals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Carl Singleton</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reasons for the difference</h2>
<p>The data suggests at least two reasons for the loss of home advantage. The first is that away teams get punished differently by the referee. Small changes in the number of fans in the stadium normally have small effects. But as the graph below shows, we estimate that an away team would receive 0.5 fewer yellow cards when playing behind closed doors (the X on the diagram), whereas the effect of reducing a specific stadium’s 25,000 crowd down to a 6,000 one is a mere 0.05 of a card (black line on diagram). Closed door matches have a disproportionate and strong effect on yellow cards.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335184/original/file-20200514-77276-qyhv3h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The estimated effects on how many yellow cards are awarded to the away team, depending on how many fans are present.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Carl Singleton</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The second possible reason is that less injury time is awarded in matches played behind closed doors. Though, in the small sample of matches without fans we have studied so far, this difference is generally not statistically significant.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335188/original/file-20200514-77247-1l95pi6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Second half injury time awarded in closed doors matches vs in all others since the beginning of the 2002-03 European football season. Bands show 95% confidence intervals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Carl Singleton</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To be clear, we are not accusing professional football referees of being consciously biased. Indeed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12106">research has shown</a> that some of the biases they exhibit are subconscious, reflecting the highly pressurised environment that they must make tight calls in. Hence, the introduction of technology like the infamous VAR is an attempt to make the game more fair.</p>
<p>Fans turn up hoping to see their team win, and so, whatever causes it, there is <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/002205103771800004">an argument</a> that some amount of home advantage is a good thing. It draws higher crowds and maintains their interest - only the diehards pay to watch their team lose every week.</p>
<h2>A different game</h2>
<p>Ultimately, our research suggests that professional football over the coming months is likely to be substantially different – not just the echoes of empty stadiums but in measurable outcomes as well. We can expect home teams to win less often. Teams with more home matches than away matches remaining in the current season might not do as well as they otherwise would have done, affecting championships, promotion and relegation. </p>
<p>The evidence also suggests that the current <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52598311">wrangling among the English Premier League’s clubs</a>, about playing their remaining matches at neutral venues, is based on a mistaken notion that home advantage wouldn’t disappear if they play some of their remaining matches in their own empty stadiums.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138685/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carl Singleton has previously received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dominik Schreyer and James Reade do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The findings of one of the few studies into closed door matches.Carl Singleton, Lecturer in Economics, University of ReadingDominik Schreyer, Assistant Professor of Sports Economics, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of ManagementJames Reade, Associate Professor of Economics, University of ReadingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1358412020-04-09T14:32:33Z2020-04-09T14:32:33ZIn defence of footballers<p>This is going to be a difficult argument to win – but as sports economists, we are going to try to convince you that footballers are in the right. </p>
<p>Though the season has been suspended, footballers themselves are back in the news since Matt Hancock, the UK health secretary, called for them to “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/02/premier-league-clubs-must-face-windfall-tax-over-wages-says-mp">make a contribution</a>” and give up some of their wages during the coronavirus pandemic. Premier League clubs then piled on the pressure, declaring that they had <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/premier-league-pay-cut-players-season-meeting-a9446051.html">“unanimously agreed to consult their players”</a> on 30% cuts in pay and other benefits.</p>
<p>But once politicians start demanding something, it is right to ask whether this might be the wrong thing to do. And we agree with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52209583">Alan Shearer</a> (among others) that it is right for footballers to resist the whistle calling from politicians and the print media, and take their own lead on salary cuts. We believe Premier League players should continue with collective initiatives along the lines of the newly announced <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11970752/coronavirus-premier-league-stars-launch-playerstogether-to-help-nhs">fund for NHS charities called #PlayersTogether</a>.</p>
<p>The argument that footballers should make a contribution is a fairly easy one to make. But should they be forced to contribute?</p>
<h2>Superstar salaries for idle workers</h2>
<p>Premier League footballers earn <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1803469">superstar wages</a>, despite being only marginally more talented than players in lower leagues on much more modest salaries. They are not performing vital services, especially at this time of national crisis. But they are excessive earners because fans all around the world buy expensive TV subscriptions to watch them kick a bag of air around a grassy field for 90 minutes.</p>
<p>Right now, though, like many of us, they aren’t doing what they are paid for. Footballers can’t even work from home, besides the odd amateur <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaeworldcup/news/from-real-pitches-to-virtual-ones-football-stars-on-fifa-esports">E-Sports tournament</a>. This clearly makes it harder to justify still earning many multiples of the average annual salary.</p>
<p>Premier League footballers have been slow to react to the developing crisis. From day one, they should have been working through the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) for a joint approach, which helps their competitions and their clubs to survive, and ensures all non-playing staff continue to get 100% of their salaries <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/football-clubs-coronavirus-furlough-staff-pay-cuts-a9449456.html">while on furlough</a>.</p>
<p>But the Premier League and the government trying to force them into these moves is both shaming and shameful. It is not helpful to just say that footballers should cut their salaries without any real idea of why or what this would do, other than to satisfy a culture of shame and blame deflection. </p>
<p>It could be argued that it is financially necessary for clubs to cut their wage bills – but it is not clear that Premier League clubs are currently in danger of going bankrupt. A bigger problem for the clubs is a potential breach of contract with Sky and BT,
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8163853/Premier-League-face-1-2billion-hit-season-abandoned.html">costing £1.2 billion if the season is not resumed</a>. Sky itself must be concerned that its subscribers may not come back. So it is in the game’s interests to broker a solution that keeps all sides happy, and to ignore the government on this.</p>
<p>Footballers are easy targets because they live continuously in the public eye. But this line of attack from the media and some politicians is dangerous and intrinsically unfair. Who else do we challenge about their excess earnings? Different rules seem to apply for other sports stars or wealthy and famous writers, film stars and musicians.</p>
<p>Indeed, why couldn’t we go further and target highly remunerated CEOs or bankers? A member of the cabinet is even linked to a firm that is making totally legal but morally dubious <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/05/rees-mogg-firm-accused-of-cashing-in-on-coronavirus-crisis">investments in businesses set to profit from the pandemic</a>. Perhaps these individuals should also be publicly shamed into doing more. Is it a coincidence that footballers are generally younger, mostly working class, often foreign and disproportionately black?</p>
<h2>What should the footballers do, if they decide to?</h2>
<p>We agree with the footballers that they should have a say in what happens to the salary cut. In a response to the Premier League proposal to take a 30% cut, they argued <a href="https://www.thepfa.com/news/2020/4/4/pfa-statement-on-behalf-of-premier-league-players">through the PFA</a> that just to cut would not benefit the NHS nor their own furloughed club staff. It was also reported that they were unhappy with this plan as it would <a href="https://www.themag.co.uk/2020/04/players-not-happy-with-proposed-pay-cut-as-it-could-benefit-unscrupulous-club-owners-report-premier-league-newcastle-united/">favour unscrupulous owners</a>.</p>
<p>Therefore, one tidy resolution to the current logjam would be to see a commitment that player staff “savings” are explicitly linked to paying non-playing staff, topping up the furlough payments, as well as benefiting local charities. Anything else may be seen by the PFA as just a way for owners to cushion their own vast fortunes.</p>
<p>Without adapting, the football pyramid does not have the in-built resilience to survive the upheaval to the economy and society caused by COVID-19. The problems in the Premier League are replicated in all the lower divisions, right down to the grassroots of the game. Perhaps a good outcome from this debate and others within football is that the Premier League reconsiders the way funds flow down through the game.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135841/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian R. Bell receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and previously from the Economic and Social Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carl Singleton has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Reade 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>They have every right to take their own lead on salary cuts during the pandemic.Adrian R Bell, Chair in the History of Finance and Research Dean, Prosperity and Resilience, Henley Business School, University of ReadingCarl Singleton, Lecturer in Economics, University of ReadingJames Reade, Associate Professor of Economics, University of ReadingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1342952020-03-27T13:14:27Z2020-03-27T13:14:27ZHow will football return after this unplanned hiatus?<p>As many of us fill the void in live sport by watching repeats of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51976729">FA Cup Quarter Finals</a>, or dipping into documentaries on Maradona and Sunderland FC on streaming services, we are all wondering when will football be back, and importantly, how will it return? </p>
<p>Will league seasons and competitions be completed or shortened? Will champions, qualification, promotion and relegation still be determined fairly on the pitch? Or by some statistical equation? Will games resume without spectators, or take place in cavernous empty stadiums? None of the answers to these questions are clear, not least because most competition organisers are delaying making these difficult decisions.</p>
<p>In an ideal world, all matches would be played, results logged and final tables computed, with all the outcomes playing out as if there was no delay. In reality, there are significant constraints on this happening. The UEFA Euro 2020 championship, due to be held this summer, has already been moved to 2021, removing one such constraint. But teams have also highlighted the thorny issue of many of their players’ contracts expiring at the end of June or July. The conventional start of the 2020 to 2021 European football season in August is also threatened.</p>
<h2>Statistical modelling</h2>
<p>Other sports have long found ways to deal with external forces restricting play. In limited overs cricket, the weather frequently intervenes and the <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28939018/were-south-africa-really-unlucky-1992-world-cup">Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method</a> is applied to try and ensure there is still a winner.</p>
<p>This statistical approach factors in the remaining resources of each team, in terms of their batsmen not yet out and the number of balls yet to be bowled after any delay, to set a revised winning target for the chasing team. Such an approach <em>could</em> be taken with football, even down to generating the exact scorelines of games that were never played, using statistical modelling. </p>
<p>The best methods to model and forecast scorelines have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijforecast.2016.11.006">extensively researched</a>. Simulation methods can be employed to <a href="https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/econscorecast/2020/02/28/end-of-season-update-february-27/">project outcomes</a> to the ends of league seasons, based on all the play that has come before. As an example and based on one common approach, we have produced a set of outcome probabilities for the end of this season’s English Premier League, based on all the play that came before the suspension.</p>
<p>We’ve made a heatmap to show the likelihood of different outcomes. Cells go from white (no chance), through yellow and orange to red. The redder a cell, the more likely that that team finishes there.</p>
<p>Some things are obvious and confirmed by our statistical model. Liverpool will win the Premier League with Manchester City coming second and Leicester City third. But qualification for the European competitions and who gets relegated still have huge uncertainty. If league seasons do not play out in full, given the financial implications for individual teams of whatever decisions are made, then lengthy and expensive challenges in the law courts are sure to follow.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322731/original/file-20200324-155620-a0ogcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">End-of-season outcome probabilities for the Premier League.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scorecasting Economists, University of Reading</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The show must go on</h2>
<p>There seems little alternative to playing out the remainder of the season. <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3558861">Recent research</a> suggests that the spread of the virus did negatively affect attendances around Europe’s top leagues. As such, it seems that COVID-19’s spectre may haunt the remaining days of the season.</p>
<p>In the English Premier League, each domestic death related to the virus reported on the previous day led to a <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3558861">6% fall in matchday attendances</a>. But would fans actually stay away in the event of a resumption of play? <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2348449">Other</a> <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/36sst4a13oc1ycf/placido-chapter-att-online.pdf?dl=0">evidence</a> suggests that this might not be the case. After the only two other major disruptions in English football of comparable scale, the two world wars, attendances soared, implying a pent up demand to watch football.</p>
<p>This latter argument seems particularly powerful for lower league teams, which are much more reliant on matchday receipts than television money. Some of the larger clubs currently playing in the English lower leagues, with significant wage bills normally covered by a strong fan base, are already struggling. <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11715/11963855/leeds-united-players-volunteer-to-take-wage-deferral-amid-coronavirus-disruption">Leeds United</a> and <a href="https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/itfc-set-for-500k-loss-if-season-finishes-behind-closed-doors-1-6578893">Ipswich Town</a> are examples. These lower division clubs, unlike the Premier League big hitters, will be desperately reliant on the football authorities, and most likely the government, to support them through what could very well be a dramatic economic downturn.</p>
<p>Match outcomes are also affected by playing behind closed doors. Research suggests that referees <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2010.04.023">favour the home team less behind closed doors</a>. Our own research, updated to include the early weeks of the pandemic in Europe, supports this conclusion as well, showing that away teams are awarded half a yellow card less when playing behind closed doors. We also find some evidence that away teams miss fewer penalties in empty stadiums.</p>
<p>Both from a financial and a sporting perspective, it is difficult to find any clear argument for anything other than completing the current football season once the virus is beaten, whatever this means for future scheduling sacrifices. If necessary, the start of the next season should be postponed, possibly with fewer matches and with domestic cup competitions skipping a year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134295/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carl Singleton has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (UK). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Reade 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>Can statistics work out who will win the various tournaments?James Reade, Professor of Economics, University of ReadingCarl Singleton, Associate Professor in Economics, University of ReadingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1300682020-01-17T13:20:58Z2020-01-17T13:20:58ZStormzy and Gary Neville: how privilege works in 21st-century Britain<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310640/original/file-20200117-118319-1xddg96.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C0%2C748%2C418&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Whose voice is more valid on racism: Stormzy, left, or Gary Neville?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> Ben Houdijk and katatonia82 via Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Actor Laurence Fox, scion of one of the most influential acting families in the UK, is the object of widespread criticism after his recent appearance on Question Time. Contributing to a panel discussion on the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to step back from the royal family, he insisted that the media’s treatment of Meghan Markle had not been racist and that there was no such thing as “white privilege” operating in Britain, Fox said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I can’t help what I am, I was born like this – it’s an immutable characteristic. So to call me a white privileged male is racist.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1217944914668990464"}"></div></p>
<p>If Fox wants to know a little more about how privilege works in the UK in the 21st century, he could learn from an episode late last year, which is an almost perfect illustration of the issue. On December 21 2019, Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Chelsea Football Club was marred by alleged racist abuse directed at Chelsea’s black German-born defender, Antonio Rudiger. In the post-match analysis, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville – a former captain of Manchester United – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2019/dec/23/gary-neville-says-footballs-racism-problem-extends-to-uk-politics-video">gave his opinion</a>: “We have a racism problem in the Premier League [and] in England.”</p>
<p>His words were warmly greeted in the media. The Independent described his response to the events at White Hart Lane as a “passionate attack on the political leaders”. Sky Sports host David Jones <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/23/sky-sports-host-apologises-for-shutting-down-racism-discussion-gary-neville">described Neville’s words</a> as part of “an important discussion on racism”.</p>
<p>Compare this with the reaction to Stormzy when the British-born black rapper was asked, in an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/21/stormzy-uk-is-racist-and-boris-johnson-has-made-it-worse">interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica</a> the same week, whether the UK was still a racist country. His reply was that: “Definitely, 100% … there’s a lot racism in the country.” </p>
<p>Various media outlets such as the Sun, Sky News and ITV <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/stormzy-britain-racist_uk_5dffe9c7e4b0b2520d0cd1cc?ncid=other_twitter_cooo9wqtham&utm_campaign=share_twitter&fbclid=IwAR2c0ph_s5uuH1k2guBMBb3BQvcVMDVg2YnoqsyDG9OHMsmcwDlor-DshPA&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9sLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJMhDtGJJJZ6vosMcv7GcZrALh1Dtz0_01_smeNqliFE-InjnzeIICLFPPV42AWjXweVvrzABNsoTA0BZZ6L2xPEP0vE5uzIzN1zw2OGFEDiuTHBHmOd6O7YfIuxH3X1K6hOwBLYq8QX14-0MCkdwlMGtYAiEk4koUrBJY1iGAJo&guccounter=2">inaccurately reported</a> that Stormzy had said the UK was “100% racist”. It produced a deluge of negative reaction on social media where Stormzy was trolled by journalists, academics and the public.</p>
<p>Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson tweeted:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1208874340609142785"}"></div></p>
<p>Paul Stott, an academic specialising in terrorism studies at SOAS, bemoaned:</p>
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<p>On Twitter, the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23StormzyIsAMassiveBellend&src=typed_query">#StormzyIsAMassiveBellend</a> trended, as people vented their disdain for the black artist, and especially at his wealth, which was used to argue his comments were an example of “biting the hand that feeds you”.</p>
<h2>Heroes and delinquents</h2>
<p>These very different responses tell us much about the intersections of race, class and masculinity when it comes to who is accepted as a legitimate voice in public political discourse. As a former player and a pundit, Neville embodies a romanticised northern, white working-class masculine identity, seen to value frugality over flamboyance, stoicism, grit and determination over flair, and brutal honesty over political correctness. </p>
<p>Neville’s no-nonsense playing style has transferred to a no-nonsense, honest brand of commentary and he feels free to comment on politics as well as sport. This led him to state that senior politicians, including prime minister, Boris Johnson, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/gary-neville-racism-sky-sports-tottenham-vs-chelsea-antonio-rudiger-racist-abuse-boris-johnson-a9257456.html">have encouraged an rise in racism</a> generally.</p>
<p>Stormzy – whose real name is Michael Owuo Jr – is Britain’s most high-profile and successful grime artist. His lyrics often draw on his own reality, growing up in urban London in 21st-century Britain. He symbolises an unsatisfied, talented and politically awake black, urban, working-class youth.</p>
<p>Neville is <a href="https://talksport.com/football/646939/sky-sports-david-jones-social-media-backlash-gary-neville-racism/">viewed as a legitimate authority</a> to speak a working-class truth to power – even on social and political issues which, in this case, fall outside of his direct experience.</p>
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<p>By contrast, for many people who we might describe as culturally conservative, Stormzy symbolises a longstanding anxiety about black immigrant communities and especially young black men, who <a href="https://orca.cf.ac.uk/28559/1/2113275.pdf">are perceived</a> as culturally deficient, hyperphysical, hypersexual, violent and ungrateful.</p>
<p>Britain has a long history of perceiving inner-urban black youth as social delinquents. As such, critics of the state and the highlighting of racial discrimination by black working-class voices are frequently dismissed as individuals who are displaying their failure to recognise that they are the beneficiaries of (white) British tolerance and benevolence, as seen in the tweets to Stormzy.</p>
<p>So the difference in public reaction is not about what the two men said (that racial inequality exists in Britain). It’s about who has legitimacy in criticising the state.</p>
<h2>Privilege</h2>
<p>Both Stormzy and Neville possess privilege. It is not that people of colour do not experience privilege or access to material wealth that some white Britons may not. But <a href="https://research.aston.ac.uk/files/941436/Poverty_ethnicity_and_place.pdf">seldom do people of colour have access</a> to the same socioeconomic, social, cultural and legal privileges and opportunities afforded to their white peers. </p>
<p>This is part of the pervasiveness of racial inequality in the UK. People of colour may be able to access all areas of life. In each area, however, they experience unique discriminations specific to their particular social, work or leisure environment. For example, as a black celebrity, Stormzy may enjoy more privileges than a white worker in the gig economy, but he does not experience the same privileges as his white celebrity peers, even if they originate from similarly working-class background.</p>
<p>Guyanese-born professor of creative writing Tessa McWatt offered a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/dec/23/shame-on-me-tessa-mcwatt-review">useful summary of privilege</a> when she wrote: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you’ve never had a moment in your life where you realise your skin colour alone makes other people hate you, you have white privilege. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>I would add to this that privilege extends to who listens, and who is “allowed” to have a voice. Neville’s race and class background allows him to discuss race and racism in the UK, including outside his specialist area of football** by bringing in the influence politicians have had on racism. But it is exactly Stormzy’s race and class background that appears to disqualify him from contributing to the debate in some people’s eyes.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-dont-see-many-black-and-ethnic-minority-faces-in-cultural-spaces-and-what-happens-if-you-call-out-the-system-128792">Why you don't see many black and ethnic minority faces in cultural spaces – and what happens if you call out the system</a>
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<p>Neville’s contribution was much needed and rightly welcomed. But it appears that just being able to draw attention to the existence of racial inequality in the UK (a rather non-controversial point), is in fact another example of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/02/revealed-the-stark-evidence-of-everyday-racial-bias-in-britain">racial inequalities</a> that exist in Britain between its white and Black Asian and minority ethnic citizens.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130068/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Ian Campbell 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>Two men talking about racism in Britain: one is black, the other white. Guess who was targeted for abuse?Paul Ian Campbell, Lecturer in Sociology (Race, Ethnicity and Leisure), University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1218382019-08-19T15:43:40Z2019-08-19T15:43:40ZGoal! Or is it? How technology – and not just VAR – is changing sport<p>Gabriel Jesus’s disallowed goal in the English Premier League, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49302583">between his club Manchester City and Spurs</a>, when a controversial handball decision was given by the video assistant referee (VAR) system, has fuelled the already fierce debate about the use of technology.</p>
<p>The handball law was <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/blog-fifa/story/3799425/handball-revamp-confirmed-as-ifab-reveals-new-laws-of-the-game-for-2019-20">changed in March 2019</a> due, in part, to the use of VAR. The new rule said a handball that gave advantage to the player handling the ball would be penalised – even if it was accidental. Previously the law had given the referee the discretion to rule on whether a handball was accidental. Use of technology effectively removed the officials’ ability to use their discretion. Jesus’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49388102">handball was one of those situations</a>.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/video-assistant-referee-in-football-as-in-war-sometimes-we-need-a-human-touch-119397">Video Assistant Referee: in football, as in war, sometimes we need a human touch</a>
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</em>
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<p>VAR has already become a big talking point in top-flight football after the same City player had a goal disallowed in the first week when his team took on West Ham, this time over a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/west-ham-man-city-var-gabriel-jesus-offside-goal-picture-video-replay-a9051251.html">marginal offside decision</a>.</p>
<p>This has led football’s law makers to review the approach taken to offside decisions. The officials should call offside only if there is a “<a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/var-offside-decisions-under-review-8v8bdhmz7">clear error</a>”. And <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7367673/THE-GREAT-VAR-DEBATE-Tech-said-Sterling-2-4cm-offside-allowed-13cm-margin-error.html">there are questions</a> over whether the technology is accurate enough to be able to measure offside to such a degree.</p>
<p>Football has followed the trend of other sports that have already adopted technology. Rugby league provided a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing/business-of-sport/rugby-league-technology/">video referee in 1996</a>. Cricket included the <a href="https://www.hawkeyeinnovations.com/products/ball-tracking">Hawk-eye ball tracking system from 2001</a>. Rugby union introduced the <a href="https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-world-cup-2019/tmo-television-match-official-explained-88934">Television Match Official (TMO)</a> in 2001. And <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-instant-replays-changed-professional-tennis/262060/">tennis began using Hawk-eye in 2002</a> to judge line calls.</p>
<h2>They think it’s all over</h2>
<p>The introduction of any technology can mean that the experience of spectators changes – and not necessarily for the better. Technology <a href="https://img.fifa.com/image/upload/zeghumlzve8t7pppcw8m.pdf">reduces errors</a>, which is of vital importance in today’s big-money sporting contests. But it also means a goal can be scored, celebrated and then disallowed, meaning that spectators at the stadium do not act spontaneously. Instead of being able to jump up and down in delight at their team scoring or taking a wicket, they have to wait on technology. It’s just not the same. </p>
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<p>Another criticism is that spectators often <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42865634">do not know what is happening on the pitch</a> when VAR is being used. The use of big screens in the stadiums to replay VAR decisions has been approved for the 2019-2020 Premier League season, displaying the incident to supporters <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/big-screens-to-show-var-replays-to-fans-in-the-stadium-jkwh7llcl">to help them understand</a> what is going on. But criticisms of the process continue and it is still to be decided whether spectators should be <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/08/12/football-lawmakers-will-review-whether-fans-should-shownentire/">shown the entire VAR decision-making process</a>.</p>
<p>At home, spectators have the benefit of technology. There are more camera angles, sharper pictures, and the benefit that any VAR review is immediately communicated and explained. As the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48953873">BBC noted</a>, people are beginning to wonder whether it’s not better to save money and stay at home to watch on television. That would be a disaster.</p>
<h2>Players behaving badly</h2>
<p>We know that changes in the interpretations of law between countries can <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SBM-04-2014-0019/full/html">change the behaviour</a> of both officials and players. It’s too early to tell how VAR will change how football works, but we do know that technology has changed player behaviour in cricket.</p>
<p>The decision review system (DRS) was introduced in 2001, aimed at improving decision-making accuracy for catches, and enhanced in 2008 in order to detect <a href="https://www.hawkeyeinnovations.com/products/ball-tracking/cricket-decision-review-system">leg-before-wicket</a> (when a batter’s leg stops the ball hitting the stumps). Teams are now using their reviews tactically, which can change the rhythm of a game and interrupt a batter’s concentration – surely not within the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/23328247">spirit of the game</a>. </p>
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<p>There have also been incidents of player behaviour influencing the removal of technology. Hotspot is an infrared imaging system used to show whether a ball had struck a batsmen, bat or pad. But it was taken out of the DRS after it was shown that placing tape <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2016/06/06/hot-spot-can-be-fooled-by-bat-tape-say-scientists/">along the edge of the bat</a> could fool the thermal imaging cameras that were there to detect the heat created by the friction when a ball hits a bat, no matter how slightly.</p>
<h2>Umpires are only human</h2>
<p>Technology can also put pressure on match officials, which can contribute to negative performances. The first 2019 Ashes test match between England and Australia saw a number of on-field umpire decisions overturned <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2019/08/05/joel-wilson-unfortunate-face-crickets-umpiring-problem-ashes/">following use of DRS</a>. </p>
<p>Umpires stand for up to five days during a test match, and so a number of incorrect decisions can build pressure over the course of the game. This is increased by the umpire knowing that their decision can be challenged and overturned using technology at any moment.</p>
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<p>Pressure for cricket umpires comes, at least in part, from media exposure and the use of technology in the game. This is also true for football referees who are exposed to extensive media coverage.</p>
<h2>Level playing field</h2>
<p>It’s hard enough for officials to do their jobs properly with the pressures outlined above. But then take into account that different sports in different countries are having to contend with variations in the way technology is applied. (See, for example, the controversy over <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/vars-in-premier-league-will-not-order-penalty-re-take-if-goalkeeper-comes-off-line-next-season-ffd6h0qbq">goalkeepers moving off their line</a> when a penalty is taken.)</p>
<p>There is big money at stake in professional sport, and careers can hinge on a key decision. So sporting administrators need to be careful about the impact any changes to their sports have on the live and televised “product”, sold in TV rights deals for millions of pounds around the world. If supporters stop watching, if television companies stop paying, they have a major problem. With technology, sometimes it seems we need to be careful what we wish for.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121838/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Webb 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>Technology in sport is a constant source of controversy as players and officials struggle to keep up.Tom Webb, Senior Lecturer in Sports Management and Development, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1170302019-05-28T12:01:59Z2019-05-28T12:01:59ZPremier League: how England’s clubs swept to European football dominance<p>Imagine the archetypal Hollywood blockbuster, where heroes battle adversity and come out on top. This is the kind of movie laden with star names and big brand product placements. Like an addition to the Star Wars franchise, it stirs emotions while turning over massive business worldwide.</p>
<p>This is the level of entertainment currently provided by English football. So much so that it should be considered one of Hollywood’s biggest rivals – positioned to take a massive bite out of the movie industry’s never-ending pursuit for the public’s attention (and cash). </p>
<p>After a series of games packed full of drama and commercial opportunities that would make a Beverley Hills producer salivate, English Premier League (EPL) clubs secured all four places <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48218123">in the finals of Europe’s top club competitions</a>, UEFA’s Champions and Europa Leagues. This is the first time in history that one nation has dominated in such a way, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea securing the available slots. </p>
<p>Football fans in Liverpool and north London have inevitably revelled in the victories of “their” clubs. So too has much of Britain, even those who might normally have little interest in football. For the purists, this has been the stuff of legend. It plays to a self-perpetuating idea that frequently casts England as the home of football. </p>
<p>It has also been an opportunity for long-term club loyalists to claim the victories as a reinforcement of their community’s identities. There was even some respite from the tortuous Brexit political impasse. For once, England feels on top of the world.</p>
<p>But the less glamorous truth is that the passage of the four English clubs into the European finals was the result of industry, money and politics. English football’s success is an entertainment product nearly three decades in the making, and comes via smart commercial management, international free trade, and developments in broadcasting and globalisation, all of which have been helped by a prevailing free market ideology. </p>
<h2>A cosmopolitan affair</h2>
<p>The EPL was established in 1992 to do exactly what it is now doing. The essence of its formation was an emphasis on improving performance (both in international competitions and financially), stronger management, and commercial development. Nobody should therefore be surprised about the success English clubs are enjoying. However, it seems fanciful – disingenuous even – to claim that this is a success for English football. If anything, the country is merely the location for production of a global entertainment behemoth. </p>
<p>Only one of the clubs (Tottenham) is British owned – albeit by someone who <a href="https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/news/joe-lewis-tottenham-transfer-rumours-12773340">resides in the Bahamas</a>. The others are owned by <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45102559">Americans</a> <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/who-are-liverpools-owners-fenway-sports-group/1rag4ff3i7jor19zqk3csntasm">and</a> a <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sunday-times-rich-list-chelsea-owner-roman-abramovich-wealth-vvsx2sv55">Russian</a>. All four team managers are from overseas (an Argentinian, a German, an Italian and a Spaniard). The shirt sponsors take in a Japanese tyre brand (Yokohama), a Middle East airline (Emirates) and a Hong Kong insurance company (AIA). Most of the players appearing in the semi-final games were from elsewhere – only eight players out of the 44 who started on the pitch were English. </p>
<p>The EPL’s inception coincided with both the European Union’s Bosman ruling (which boosted the <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10100134/how-the-bosman-rule-changed-football-20-years-on">free movement of footballers</a>) and with globalisation, which has dramatically increased cross-border business, from talent recruitment to securing commercial partners. Hence, it is no surprise that the EPL has become such a cosmopolitan affair. </p>
<h2>Big money</h2>
<p>Every drama needs screen time to sustain its success, and satellite broadcasting to global audiences has brought in vast revenues for EPL clubs, which in turn sustains player acquisitions and major infrastructural investments. All of which has been enabled by the British government’s prevailing laissez-faire approach to industrial policy, characterised by <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/4x9kxn/how-football-explains-capitalism">financial gain and capitalism</a>.</p>
<p>As a result, the EPL has not only developed as a big brand in its own right, it has induced a clustering effect, helping the brands around it grow. The likes of Manchester United and Manchester City are now among some of the world’s most valuable sports brands, while players appearing in the league routinely appear on lists of the world’s most marketable athletes. In turn, sponsorship consultancies, stadium design companies, data analysis agencies and more have all been able to build their businesses on the back of links to the Premier League. </p>
<p>Yet in the league’s brand constellation, it is not just the football business that has benefited. Brand Britain has become a star too. In rankings of soft power, the UK’s often pre-eminent position is partly <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/football-uk-brexit-soft-power-arsenal-premiere-league-527228">attributed to the EPL effect</a>. Politicians have been quick to take advantage of this; Tony Blair used it <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/189217.stm">to strike trade deals with China</a>, while the current government often enlists the help of clubs when it goes on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-embassy-doha-hosts-sport-is-great-event-in-qatar">overseas trade missions</a>. </p>
<p>Football helps sell what the rest of Britain also has to offer. So compelling has the EPL’s economic impact become, that it now publishes details of its contribution to <a href="https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-Premier-League-economic-and-social-impact-January-2019/$FILE/EY-Premier-League-economic-and-social-impact-January-2019.pdf">national income and employment</a>.</p>
<p>The 2019 Champions League and Europa League finals may nevertheless mark the highest point of English football’s industrial success story. Clouds are gathering on the horizon – one outcome of which has been the EPL’s failure <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jan/17/premier-league-tim-davie-declines-chief-executive-richard-scudamore-susanna-dinnage">to recruit a new chief executive</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/british-sport-on-uncertain-legal-ground-as-brexit-looms-61655">Brexit</a>, changes in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/jan/31/mobile-changing-face-broadcast">broadcasting technology</a>, shifts in the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/events/business-of-sport/what-is-the-future-of-sports-consumption/">consumption of content</a>, and growing competition from rivals <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47710833">such as Spain’s La Liga</a> all threaten English football’s global competitive advantage. Whoever replaces outgoing CEO of the EPL, Richard Scudamore, has a big job on their hands.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117030/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 English Premier League was established in 1992 to do exactly what it is now doing.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Enterprise, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1146452019-04-01T14:00:12Z2019-04-01T14:00:12ZEngland’s Premier League homegrown talent problem: why it’s time to introduce equivalent of Barcelona B<p>England’s impressive Euro 2020 qualifier victories have confirmed that the country is having a great moment in football. The Lions were unusually confident in both matches, putting five goals past both the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47675815">Czech Republic</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47606892">Montenegro</a>. Young English players are also in high demand outside the UK right now: Borussia Dortmund are <a href="https://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2019/03/27/5c9bee64e5fdea06568b4578.html">battling</a> to hang on to Jadon Sancho after an eye-catching first full season in the German Bundesliga, while Bayern Munich are among the European clubs <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47752185">trying to</a> lure his England teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea. </p>
<p>These are signs that England’s youth academies are delivering after years of struggling to catch up with continental rivals, while Sancho’s success at Dortmund is a reminder that English players don’t always have to break into the Premier League to make it to the top. Yet as <a href="http://www.football-observatory.com">this recent report</a> confirms, England still lacks homegrown talent in its top league. This prevents young players from hitting the big time, and it’s getting worse. </p>
<p>Players that grew up in the UK contributed just 35% of playing time in this season’s Premier League, down from 40% in 2009-10. Their proportion of goals fell from 39% to 31%, while player contributions from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are now barely in single percentage figures. England manager Gareth Southgate has raised concerns about this on numerous occasions since his team <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-emotional-intelligence-helped-take-a-young-england-team-to-the-brink-of-a-world-cup-final-99792">finished fourth</a> in the Russia World Cup last summer. He <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/03/gareth-southgate-condemns-shortage-england-players-premier-league">argues</a> that the lack of first-team football for many of the country’s brightest prospects is narrowing his selection options. </p>
<p>In fact, this is not entirely an English problem. There <a href="http://www.football-observatory.com">has been</a> a steady increase in expat players across Europe’s top divisions, rising from 35% to 40% between 2009 and 2018. Other national coaches, such as Italy’s Roberto Mancini, <a href="https://www.football-italia.net/127496/mancini-not-enough-italians">have voiced</a> concerns, too. Of the major leagues, however, the English Premier League is the most expat of all: 59% compared to Italy’s 54%, Germany’s 49%, Spain’s 39% and France’s 36%. </p>
<h2>The Premier League problem</h2>
<p>The Premier League’s success since its 1992 inception has certainly made it harder for young homegrown players to transition to first-team football at the highest level. In such a competitive league, where clubs have huge funds, managers and football directors always want the best possible “ready to use” talent from around the world. </p>
<p>English membership of the EU single market – we’ll see <a href="https://talksport.com/football/518692/latest-liverpool-champions-chelsea-relegated-hard-brexit-premier-league/">what happens</a> after Brexit – makes it particularly easy to get players from Europe. And with so many continental managers at Premier League clubs working under enormous pressure, it’s only reasonable they sign players they know well. </p>
<p>Southgate for one is not convinced it’s a simple quality problem. As he <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/03/gareth-southgate-condemns-shortage-england-players-premier-league">put it</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Nobody can tell me that, if [English] players are good enough, they will come through. That is not true. There are plenty of players who are good enough.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If so, we must ask what else could be done to boost the chances of aspiring Lions. One major difference between England and certain continental countries is there are no “B” teams of major clubs in lower divisions. In Spain, Portugal, Germany and Ukraine, this makes it easier to integrate young players into a club’s top team. Italy is now trying this too, with <a href="https://www.football-italia.net/126568/juventus-b-make-competitive-debut">Juventus B launching</a> in the country’s third tier, Serie C, this season. </p>
<p>Unlike the reserve teams or under-23 teams common in England, B teams arguably give young players more playing time at a higher competitive level. There are also advantages over England’s system of loaning out players to lesser clubs or of using <a href="https://www.90min.com/posts/5133780-7-premier-league-teams-that-have-established-and-used-feeder-club-relationships">feeder clubs</a> in the way that Liverpool takes players from Genk of Belgium, or Chelsea from Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands: being part of the same club structure and training in the same environment arguably allows for enhanced internal mobility and increases the chances for opportunities in the first team. </p>
<p>The potential of B teams also extends to managers: after a difficult start to the season, Benfica replaced Rui Vitoria with B team manager Bruno Lage. Legends like Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola also developed their coaching skills in these secondary set ups, previously managing Real Madrid Castilla and Barcelona B respectively – indeed, Guardiola himself <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/01/20/manchester-city-manager-pep-guardiola-calls-premier-league-b/">has made</a> the case for B teams in England in the past. </p>
<h2>The Portuguese experience</h2>
<p>Portugal seems the most visible success story with B teams to date. In 2012, the Primeira Liga clubs were invited to create secondary teams that would be directly entered into the country’s second tier, Ledman Liga Pro, but wouldn’t be eligible for promotion. Porto, Benfica, Sporting, Braga, Vitória SC and Maritimo all took this up. </p>
<p>A recent report by the Portuguese League revealed that nine out of the 23 Portugal players that became European champions at Euro 2016 in France played for their club’s B team as part of their transition into first-team football. Even more noticeably, 20 of the 21 Portuguese players that made the quarter finals in the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40237981">2017 Under-20 World Cup</a> in South Korea were playing for a B team. It’s also having a big effect in club football: for example, Benfica’s recent 3-0 Europa League victory against Dinamo Zagreb included five players who were in their B team last season. </p>
<p>Introducing this system to England is not without risks. Take <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45643965">FIFA’s plan</a> to limit the number of players clubs can send out on loan each season to between six and eight: richer clubs may use B teams as an instrument to bypass this new rule. There is a wider danger that other parts of the football ecosystem will suffer if B teams allow major clubs to become even more self-contained. </p>
<p>Critics of this system have also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/26/pep-guardiola-reserve-teams-championship-spain">made the point</a> that B teams in Portugal and elsewhere can struggle to compete, but that loses sight of the main goal of helping younger players reach the top.
On the whole, the B team system looks like a valuable and growing part of international football that England should think seriously about adopting – especially at a time when Brexit and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/29361839">UEFA’s Financial Fair Play</a> restrictions will be making clubs reconsider their future options. </p>
<p>Southgate <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/03/gareth-southgate-condemns-shortage-england-players-premier-league">has said</a> that where so many of the things that used to be wrong with English football have now been put right, the proportion of homegrown players in the Premier League “is just the missing piece”. If the likes of Manchester City B and Liverpool B were taking part in lower-league fixtures week in week out, this puzzle might finally be completed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114645/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maurizio Valenti has received research funding from UEFA and official support from the Italian and Scottish football associations for a project on women’s football. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francisco Fardilha 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>England’s national team are playing a blinder. Here’s how they take it to the next level.Francisco Fardilha, Doctoral Researcher and Associate Fellow, University of StirlingMaurizio Valenti, Doctoral Researcher in Sport, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1130662019-03-22T08:21:50Z2019-03-22T08:21:50ZPremier League: how English football’s top flight favours fans of London clubs<p>The English Premier League (EPL) is the most <a href="https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/seasoncountry/#/yr/2019">successful football league</a> in the world and one of the most <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43488263">successful sports businesses</a> of any kind. But the benefits may be relatively skewed towards people who live in London. Not only has the UK capital had more clubs per fan in the EPL than any other region since the league was created in the 1992/93 season, but their fans have to pay less to travel to see their clubs play away matches.</p>
<p>Over the 26 years the league has been in operation, the number of EPL clubs based in London has remained relatively stable at approximately six. Meanwhile, the number of clubs from different regions has fluctuated. The largest reduction was observed in the north of England where the number of EPL clubs fell from ten out of 20 in 1995/96 (when the EPL was reduced from 22 to 20) to seven out of 20 in 2018/19. There was large variation in participation from teams in the Midlands or the east of England and a small increase in the number of clubs from the south and Wales, with the participation of Brighton & Hove Albion FC, AFC Bournemouth and Cardiff City in 2018/19.</p>
<p>If you dig deeper, you can see that the northwest and, especially, Yorkshire & Humber are the biggest losers over time (Figure 2) – although Leeds United and Sheffield United are currently sitting pretty on the Championship (the second tier of English football) table and may well join the EPL in 2019/20. This implies that there may be stronger regional representation, with Huddersfield (Yorkshire) and Fulham (London) looking destined for relegation to the Championship.</p>
<p>If you adjust this calculation for population size (assuming one club per approximately 2.5m people – distributing fairly 20 clubs across around 51m people), the north of England and London were – and still are – the only two regions punching above their weight. But you can also see a change over time as London has surpassed the north in terms of “over-representation” of clubs from the region. The north’s losses have benefited the south and Wales. Once again, drilling down into lower level regions, it becomes clear that the north-west is the only region comparable to London (Figure 3). </p>
<p>For example, in the 2018/19 EPL season, there were six clubs from London (“observed”) and based on a population around 8,200,000 people from the 2011 Census we would expect around three clubs (“expected”). Meanwhile the north-west of England has a population of around 7.5m so, again, you would expect around three clubs – but there are five in the EPL.</p>
<h2>Strain of the train</h2>
<p>We decided to work out how much things were skewed in favour of London-based clubs and their fans. We calculated how much it costs for fans to follow their clubs on all away EPL fixtures, picking an arbitrary date: Saturday November 3, 2018. We used the most common kick-off time of 3pm and obtained rail and car travel estimates from Google maps and the national rail enquiries website. Unsurprisingly, following Newcastle United, in the northeast, was the most expensive choice – each committed Geordie had to spend around £2,500 on rail fares to attend all of the club’s away matches.</p>
<p>Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, Cardiff City in Wales and Huddersfield Town in Yorkshire were next in line – their fans had to spend more than £1,700. At the other end of the scale, fans of London clubs such as Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal faced an average cost of around £1,000. Fans of Liverpool and Manchester clubs had to spend around £1,400 and £1,200, respectively.</p>
<p>In total, rail fares for Newcastle United fans to attend all 19 away matches were in excess of £6.5m (accounting for away fan capacity and assuming sellout crowds). This is a clear outlier, reflecting Newcastle’s remoteness in relation to other clubs – although rail travel time for Novocastrians was better than expected. This at least reflects good services and connections – better than for Bournemouth, Cardiff and Burnley, for example, considering the distances.</p>
<p>Rail costs per mile further demonstrate a variation – Leicester fans, in particular, have the right to feel particularly aggrieved, with cost per mile travelled to or from London being 0.58p and to or from everywhere else 0.52p (averages for all other cities/towns, excluding London, were 0.43p and 0.47p, respectively).</p>
<p>Interesting point: for Bournemouth and Southampton fans, a return train ticket to London is slightly more expensive than for London-based fans travelling in the opposite direction.</p>
<p>In reality, all these costs are underestimates, since televised matches are played at times that make the lives of travelling fans very difficult – it may be impossible to get a direct train and an overnight stay may be essential, further adding to the costs. And these additional costs are likely to be higher for non-London supporters, since services outside London tend to be less frequent, while overnight stays in London are more expensive. </p>
<h2>Level playing field</h2>
<p>It becomes evident that football fans have to bear a disproportional cost in time and money, supporting an industry that makes massive profits. So, what can be done? Travelling fans are effectively sports “visitors” and should be treated with reciprocal respect, with more consideration given to televised matches and the distances fans have to travel. </p>
<p>The EPL could also acknowledge the travelling costs for away fans and offer financial support to clubs in a similar way to how broadcast and central income is distributed. This would allow each club to consider a ticket pricing strategy for its own fans or support travelling arrangements. Perhaps clubs could consider selling a bundle product which would include both match and rail ticket. Alternatively (or in addition), the government or football institutions could negotiate fairer “fixed” rail prices.</p>
<p>But it’s not all down to geography, as infrastructure also plays its part. London is at the centre of the biggest sports investments which have made the capital the natural host for national football events. It seems unfair that <a href="https://www.efl.com/carabao-cup">EFL (or Carabao) Cup</a> finals and FA Cup semi-finals and finals are hosted in London.</p>
<p>Wembley, the “headquarters” of English football, has historically been an integral part of the game in England and is recognised as a global football trademark. But always having cup finals there increases the time and expense for supporters of non-London clubs that are successful in these competitions. Perhaps the region of the finalists should be considered before a venue was decided. </p>
<p>This imbalance is a problem for the EPL as it may have implications for its attractiveness and for generating revenue overall. And, as the so-called “people’s sport”, it’s surely a problem that this emphasis in favour of London and London-based clubs makes life harder for fans with less money to travel to see their clubs play. </p>
<p>Football is one of the most loved sports in the UK and the world, bringing together families and friends over a number of generations. It’s a societal link of togetherness. It shouldn’t give an unfair advantage to London or lead loyal supporters to poverty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113066/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tasos is a supporter of Olympiakos S.F.P. He is confident that one day Olympiakos will reach and conquer the Champions League....one day....
Tasos also has a soft spot for AFC Bournemouth. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Evangelos Kontopantelis is a Manchester City season ticket holder and is often camouflaged as an empty seat.</span></em></p>Football is supposed to be the ‘people’s game’, but the English Premier League is easier and cheaper to follow if you are a fan of a club based in London or the prosperous southeast.Anastasios (Tasos) Theofilou, Principal Academic, Bournemouth UniversityEvangelos Kontopantelis, Professor in Data Science and Health Services Research, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1134112019-03-13T15:06:39Z2019-03-13T15:06:39ZFootball violence: attacks by fans on players are abhorrent, but there’s no need for knee-jerk reactions<p>British football is once again under the microscope for all the wrong reasons. In the tenth minute of the Second City Derby between Birmingham City and Aston Villa on March 10, a Blues supporter evaded stewards, ran on to the pitch and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-47523268">attacked Villa’s captain Jack Grealish</a>. The assault came less than 48 hours <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/03/08/scottish-footballs-fan-problem-worsens-man-runs-pitch-shove/">after an altercation</a> in which a Hibernian fan confronted James Tavernier of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. This was soon followed by another pitch invasion in which an Arsenal supporter <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/man-utd-arsenal-pitch-invader-15953100">appeared to shove</a> Manchester United’s Chris Smalling.</p>
<p>This spate of incidents has reignited the debate on disorder in football, with new focus on the safety of the players on the pitch. Former professionals <a href="https://www.supersport.com/general/news/190311_Shearer_warns_lives_could_be_at_risk_after_pitch_invasions">speculated</a> on what might have happened had the offenders been carrying weapons, with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47519794">the stabbing of tennis player Monica Seles</a> in 1993 used as a cautionary tale. </p>
<p>The man involved in the Grealish incident, Paul Mitchell, 27, has been jailed for 14 weeks and a range of preventative measures have been mooted. The imposition of “<a href="http://www.parliament.scot/S5MembersBills/draft_consultation_strict_liability_Scottish_football_clubs_NEW_WEBSITE_OCT_17.pdf">strict liability</a>” on football clubs for the offending behaviour of their fans – with a ladder of sanctions including points deductions and playing behind closed doors – has been suggested <a href="https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/17195713.clubs-must-face-sanctions-for-crowd-disorder-fines-games-behind-closed-doors-even-being-docked-points/">as deterrent</a> by various pundits, despite little evidence of their effectiveness. </p>
<p>Changes to the infrastructure of stadia, including netting, moats, and even the return of perimeter fences to provide more robust physical barriers between fans and the pitch have also been proposed, despite the known <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bjiSBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT98&lpg=PT98&dq=including+netting,+moats+and+perimeter+fences+football&source=bl&ots=4de_THYZzG&sig=ACfU3U03bGSnIkCFiHJ4LMi7l0Rdt1SNSg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizsf_z9P7gAhVSVRUIHaugB4UQ6AEwCHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=including%20netting%2C%20moats%20and%20perimeter%20fences%20football&f=false">risks to health and safety</a> that these restrictions pose. These risks have been evident in <a href="https://www.stadiumguide.com/timelines/stadium-disasters/">successive stadium disasters</a> and barriers have been considered unthinkable since the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diavhiUso5E">Hillsborough tragedy of 1989</a>, when 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gCOUiycidjI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Former Birmingham City midfielder <a href="https://twitter.com/cotterill_david/status/1105112095367020544">David Cotterill</a> went as far as advocating the deployment of armed officers to protect players, recalling the time Bobby Robson suggested that police should “turn the flamethrowers on them”, following the violence and disorder that <a href="https://millwall-forum.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/millwall-v-ipswich-riot-1978.10/">marred a cup tie</a> between Millwall and Ipswich in 1978.</p>
<p>What is the significance of these recent pitch invasions and the ensuing debate on player safety? Do they signal a return to the “dark days” of football hooliganism? </p>
<h2>A notorious time</h2>
<p>When were these so-called dark days? The most notorious 15-year period of football hooliganism in the 1970s and 1980s was bookended by two notable interventions by the football authorities. In 1971, the Football Association closed Manchester United’s home ground, Old Trafford, for their opening two games after fans threw knives and darts at visiting supporters the previous season. In May 1985 all English clubs were banned from European competition in the aftermath of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-32898612">Heysel Stadium disaster</a> in Brussels, in which 39 people died and 600 were injured after fans were crushed against a wall that then collapsed during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. </p>
<p>The major change to regulation of crowd management followed the publication of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19574492">Taylor Report in 1990</a> in the wake of Hillsborough. While aimed at improving crowd safety, Lord Justice Taylor’s <a href="https://sgsa.org.uk/regulation/all-seated-football-stadia">recommendation for all-seated stadia</a> was enacted alongside a raft of other measures, including the increased use of CCTV at football stadiums as well as an extension of the legal power to ban individuals from football matches and criminalising encroachment onto the pitch.</p>
<p>These changes have had <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970.2014.961374">a significant impact</a> on the experience of watching live football, deterring and restricting the “hooligan element” and attracting a new type of family audience.</p>
<p>But it’s important not to overstate the extent of change. The post-Taylor era has been punctuated by isolated episodes of serious disorder. Major crowd trouble in <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209028/Man-stabbed-West-Ham-Millwall-fans-brawl-outside-stadium.html">2009-10</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/apr/13/millwall-fa-cup-violence-wembley">2012-13</a> led to similar soul searching about the “curse” of football hooligans and demands for it to be stamped out once and for all. </p>
<h2>‘They think it’s all over’</h2>
<p>Can disorder ever be totally eradicated from football? Perhaps not. But the long arc of British football is undoubtedly bending towards <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0193723515615177">less violence</a> (see graph below). The arrest rate for the whole of last season was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46220337">3.5 per 100,000 fans</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263648/original/file-20190313-123554-e3s2yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The number of football-related arrests has steadily declined since 1985.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Home Office</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Serious violence and crime at other major events – <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/arts/music/stone-roses-gigs-blamed-for-huge-crime-rise-in-finsbury-park-8779314.html">whether large concerts and festivals</a> or <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/44106914">horse racing</a> – does not seem to induce the same level of opprobrium or moral panic. The widespread media coverage of football amplifies the spectacle of disorder, leading with depressing inevitability to the type of copycat behaviour witnessed at the weekend. And the attraction of a clampdown lies in the view that football fans (as a collective group) are inherently disposed to violence. </p>
<p>We should guard against the urge to treat anyone who encroaches on the field of play as a threat to player safety. There are clearly very different reasons for why a fan might encroach on the pitch – to ensure their own safety, as part of a protest or civil disobedience and, of course, celebration. Only a tiny minority are malign in intent. </p>
<p>Indeed, it is somewhat ironic that the most celebrated phrase in English football – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg2CXkJVCHk">those immortal words</a>: “Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over”, uttered by commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme in the 1966 World Cup Final – was in reference to pitch invaders at Wembley celebrating what they thought was the final whistle signalling England’s triumph. </p>
<p>Let me be clear – professional footballers have an unequivocal right to work in an environment free from the threat of violence. This is also true of teachers, nurses, paramedics, prison officers – to name a few professionals who face regular violence and intimidation in their workplace. But it is also accepted that it is unreasonable to expect all risk to be eradicated in these public spaces, especially when such protection begins to impinge on civil liberties. </p>
<p>The relevant stakeholders in football must, of course, tackle the issue of player safety. But the debate about how to police football crowds effectively needs to avoid knee-jerk reactions to isolated incidents. Engagement with fan groups and representatives – alongside clubs and police – are essential to develop more pro-social and sustainable solutions. Dialogue is a not a panacea, but it is essential for meaningful progress to continue.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113411/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Fitzpatrick 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>A series of attacks by fans on players recently raised the spectre of a return to the bad old days of the 1970s and 1980s.Daniel Fitzpatrick, Lecturer in Politics, Aston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.