The Business of Football

Bought for 23 million pounds. Outstanding performance for 2 years. Sold for 37 million pounds. This sounds like the perfect business. Profit, performance, consistency it has it all that a business demands. Businesses are built on things like these. Sadly this is not a story of a 'thing'. This is the story of Juan Mata, a football player, a human being. He signed for Chelsea from Valencia CF for 23 million pounds and after two Player-of-the-year-award winning seasons was sold to Manchester United for 37 million pounds.

Even from a footballing point of view this sounds like good business. He was not in Jose Mourinho's plans, he had a great but largely one-dimensional game and he found it difficult to adapt to Mourinho's style. So 37-million pounds for a player who is not wanted anyway is good business. Sadly that is what football has become now, a business. It is about money, it is about profits, it is about resale values and it is about getting the business right. Even winning trophies is about the money that comes with it. Had that not been the case Europa League would not have been the ugly sister of the far more beautiful Champions League. Playing in the Premier League has become more important than winning the Premier League. Promotion is celebrated with more furor than actually winning the title. Managerial changes at the bottom of the table are more than at the top.

Emotions and sentiments have taken a backseat. Loyalty has become a rarity. The relationship between the fans and the players has no value. Juan Mata was Stamford Bridge's favorite son. He was probably the most skillful player to play for Chelsea since Gianfranco Zola, Chelsea's greatest ever player. He gave it all in each and.every game. And yet, when the right offer came he was sold. The fans' love was never taken into consideration. The fact that Chelsea fans would have to see him play every week for a team they hate, the fact they would have to play against him at least twice a year was never an obstacle. The business of Football does not understand this. All it sees is a commodity worth millions of pounds, a commodity not needed anymore, a liability.

This in no way means Football is on the road to become as mechanical as the corporate world. That is never going to happen. The crazy fans will see to it. The goals will be celebrated like there is no tomorrow. The trophies will still be able to bring Christmas in May for the fans. The fans would be as emotional as always. But the Chairmen, the Presidents and the Owners of the clubs will only devise ways to make money out of these emotions.