The Olympics are over, and we are probably a bit of a man too. It was a game no one really wanted, except for the International Olympic Committee, the broadcasters and the sponsors.
Of course, there were many athletes from all over the world who had the Olympics as their goal during several years of hard training, but the pandemic changed the world and sometimes you may also have to leave the sport behind for something bigger, more important.
“The show must go on”, we are one of the dead. No, it really does not have to.
The Premier League kicks off and that money carousel also rolls on without much thought. Belgian star Romelu Lukaku returns to Chelsea after a few years at Italian Inter. Price tag: 1.2 billion. This is money we will soon get used to, some players are valued at SEK 2-3 billion. Where is the border? Is there anyone at all?
Sometimes you wish indeed that some of the heavily indebted big clubs would be forced to go bankrupt so that the whole system was shaken. A billion can certainly soon be everyday food for a normal decent midfielder in an English midfield team – but what does it do with sports, sports, football, the audience. I’m not alone in feeling disgusted by this economic circus, but no solution to stop the grotesque arms race in football can be seen anywhere. No will to change at all. Quite hopeless, actually.
Maybe it’s time for football to become a political issue? Agents and club owners are limitless in their demands and their business. I think it’s time for regulations, I believe in both wage ceilings and transfer ceilings.
I wrote for someone week ago about the great documentary “Sir Alex Ferguson. Never give in ”(Viaplay) and here we are really offered a lesson about the roots of football. Alex Ferguson was of course part of the money woes, but he never forgot where he came from, and he constantly reminded his players of the club, the team and its root system that must always be protected.
After the Allsvenskan in football got back a limited part of its audience, it probably dawned on everyone who got a ticket what an incredible joy football gives. There were many who were moved to tears by just seeing people flock to, in their colors, in their scarves. It really felt like our football, our clubs, our culture. And we had missed that community deeply and sincerely, much more than we thought possible.
And speaking of Alex Ferguson: Also look at Christopher André Mark’s portrait of the German legend, coach Otto Rehhagel, “King Otto”, also on Viaplay.
A great interesting leader who, like Ferguson, has a rare sense of detail. Rehhagel almost did wonders with some of his German clubs, Werder Bremen, Kaiserslautern and more, but his biggest achievement was without a doubt when he led Greece to a European Championship win in 2004. It must have been the biggest bang in football history. Ever.
The film stays of course mostly about the European Championship triumph, but we also get a picture of the war child Otto, the post-war period, his football career as a rock-hard defender and much more. Leaders like Ferguson and Rehhagel obviously do not grow on trees, the more exciting to get them really into life.
Passion is obviously a key word when talking about the caliber of Alex and Otto’s careers. Passion on the border of what you stand for as a human being, but we are happy that they exist, that they have the strength and that they share with both audiences and players.
Read more:
Johan Croneman: Journalist and advertising columnist at the same time – an impossible equation
Johan Croneman: Discovery has turned the Olympic Games into a bush
Johan Croneman: Does football have to be at the forefront of nationalism?
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