“Do you have an idea of what could be improved in the financing of world football and what do you think is sustainable?”
This question was answered in the Seznam Zpráv series by coach of the Czech national football team Ivan Hašek, member of the Economic Council of the Government Petr Zahradník, coach of the Yemeni national team Miroslav Soukup and football reporter and creator of the Nosiči vody podcast Luděk Mádl.
None of the interviewees is worried about running out of money for football due to various economic, climate, political or health crises. “I think at the moment there is always talk that there is an economic crisis, but at the same time you see the huge amount of money flowing into football. In the future, it won’t be any smaller, on the contrary, it will get bigger and bigger,” thinks Ivan Hašek.
The future of football – the Seznam Správ jury
Who predicts the future of world football for you:
- Ivan Hašek, the new coach of the Czech national team
- Petr Zahradník, economist from the Government’s National Economic Council
- Miroslav Soukup, coach of the Yemeni national team
- Luděk Mádl, longtime football reporter and creator of the Nosiči vody podcast
Miroslav Soukup, who has several years of experience with football in the Arab world, names specific companies in this context: “I believe that companies such as Visa, Coca-Cola, McDonalds and others have such a strong position on the world market that they can continue to be very generous finance world football. Maybe another strong player will appear in the near future.”
Economist Petr Zahradník recalls the money flowing from the Arab world, thanks to which football does not suffer from poverty. But he also sees risks in this: “The problem is not to bring more money into football, but rather to distribute it more evenly and fairly. The dominance of funds from Arab countries in a relatively short period of time (the past 15, 20 years) has caused many clubs (and thus also national competitions) and national associations to be ‘obliged’ to them; and that’s definitely not good. And that it is starting to be played more and more audibly according to how the donors ‘whistle’,” he points out.
Salary caps, NHL-like draft
However, the economist recognizes that this requirement is probably not entirely realistic given the current unflattering economic conditions in Europe. He therefore suggests that European football take an example from the American NHL with salary caps and draft rules, where the weakest team has priority in choosing the best new players. “There are no such limits in football (not even for player salaries, to a very limited extent for clubs’ indebtedness, which are, however, applied rather vaguely and mainly ineffectively). Some similar rules should be introduced with greater emphasis in football: strict debt ceilings, salary limits, limits on merchandising, or duties, how I will dispose of the funds obtained - youth development, academy, support of recreational and performance sports, etc.,” he suggests.
Football and ecological transformation
Will the money from the oil and gas sheiks for world football be considered dirty? And will it possibly do without them?
Journalist Luděk Mádl points out that football benefits from its ability to attract literally billions of people, it has an almost global reach and, thanks to the pay TV system, it can reach sales practically anywhere.
“Other ways are being sought, for example, instead of sitting in front of the TV, the experience of a virtual visit to the stadium. I understand that you will be sitting at home in Kopidlno, but put on your glasses and find yourself at the game at Wembley. And like that, maybe a billion of you can ‘sit’ there, obviously not for free,” he outlines the future of virtual experiences.
Luděk Mádl also sees one risk, and that is the different perception of entertainment among today’s young generation: “The sustainability of the economic success of football depends mainly on this sport remaining attractive to younger generations, operating in a more scattered mode, in which 90 minutes of the match it can become an indigestible morsel,” reminds the fact that even some of today’s viewers find some matches rather boring and with a small portion of excitement.
Next: Is Super League a realistic scenario for the future of European football?
2024-01-18 05:20:20
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