Summer Season – The Global Game
'Like' us on Facebook by clicking HEREArticle by e-Football Writer Paul Glanfield (UK)
Football stays with us over the summer more than ever nowadays. In fact it never really goes away. This year arguably saw a real rise in prominence of the Confederations Cup tournament, largely down to it acting as a suitable prelude to next year’s eagerly awaited World Cup also taking place in Brazil. Disregarding the off-field activities, from a footballing perspective the tournament was a great advertisement for the big one next summer, with entertaining attacking football the order of the day played out in a highly competitive manner. Aside from the opportunity for European football followers to see Brazil in competitive action including Neymar ahead of his move to Barcelona this summer, the Brazilians were complimented by about as an attack-minded Italian setup as can be remembered and of course the footballing beast that is Spain. Uruguay, Japan, Nigeria and Mexico all brought something to the party too, and perhaps one of the most enlightening sights was that of Tahiti set out to attack their far superior opposition as opposed to setting up not to concede. Football is so often about the journey not the destination, about the moments that made us rise to our feet, fall to our knees or lose ourselves completely. Tahiti’s goal against Nigeria was a feel good moment for any football fan watching and despite their vast inferiority to their opposition resulting in three heavy defeats, it can only be hoped that all under dogs who make it to next year’s tournament embody the same spirit.
Even away from the major tournaments those seeking football over the early summer period will barely be disappointed with the various U21 and U20 tournaments also tucked away in the television schedule.
Aside from the various international footballing treats we are exposed to, the transfer rumour mill starts long before the window officially opens and managerial comings and goings provide plenty of talking points to base our predictions for the coming season upon well in advance of the action kicking off. This coming season has so many ingredients already to be an absolute classic – How will
David Moyes cope with taking over the mantle of Sir Alex? How will Pep take an all-conquering Bayern side to another level? Will Carlo Ancelotti be able to propel Real back to the top of La Liga? Will Jose’s return to the Bridge be triumphant or will it all end in tears? Where will Wayne Rooney kick off the season? Will Real Madrid prise Gareth Bale away from Tottenham? Are Joe Kinnear and Alan Pardew going to work in perfect harmony or will it end in all out bloodshed?
Before long pre-season kicks into full swing and the familiar faces are back on our screens with daily visits to training and various reports on pre-season performances that pretend that they aren’t reading far too much into it than they should be. Gone are the days when pre-season matches were merely a one paragraph report in the next morning’s newspaper, they now form part of a festival of televised summer football with an all-singing all-dancing cast battling to win one of seemingly hundreds of mini-tournaments. European clubs spread their wings the world over taking on both one another and any variety of global club and even international sides.
A key feature of the pre-season world is the ‘Never Never Game’ which is essentially a match between two sides who are almost certain to never face each other in competitive action. These matches are usually a huge opportunity for one team and their supporters to come face to face with
one of Europe’s heavyweights. Examples this summer would include Barcelona’s trip to face the Thai national team and Manchester United’s match up with the Singha All Star XI.
One of the more intriguing fixtures of this nature has to be Real Madrid’s pre-season opener. Los Blancos kick off their pre-season against AFC Bournemouth in England, which seems to be a remarkable coupe for the South Coast side. Bournemouth have caused a stir by charging £60 a ticket for the experience, which chairman Eddie Mitchell has described as a fair price to see the Real in the flesh. After a season where the campaign to reduce Premier League away tickets to £20 picked up full gusto, charging £60 for any pre-season friendly seems extreme, particularly one hosted by a Championship side. That said, this is an opportunity for a club such as Bournemouth to fill their stadium and for their fans to watch their team play a side that they are unlikely to ever face competitively. It is perhaps a once in a lifetime chance, and one I am sure will be lapped up by many supporters even considering the ticket price.
This reminds me of a game I attended in 2011 when Real Madrid visited the King Power stadium to play Leicester. It was quite a surreal experience and I was surprised by the number of big names whom played for Real that day, including Cristiano Ronaldo. Leicester certainly went to town for the occasion, in fact having around an hour of build up to the game including Thai dancers on the field and a pop star performance. Where a ‘Never Never Game’ is concerned there understandably seems to be a mythic importance attached to the game by the lower ranked team, which in turn actually makes these type of pre-season affairs the more competitive and enjoyable to observe.
This is most likely the one benefit Real players get from this kind of trip as the opposition players are so motivated by the opportunity to play (and beat) a side from a level they will rarely (if ever) compete at that the game itself is physically competitive compared to perhaps playing against a team they will possibly come up against in the Champions League later that season.
Before jetting off to the United States for the International Champions Cup tournament where they will face LA Galaxy for the fourth successive pre-season, Real play a couple of games against French opposition. First up is a trip to Lyon, before they complete the European part of their pre-season by playing PSG in the Hollywood style “Supermatchen 2013” in Gothenburg. Described as a ‘gala friendly’ and promising an array of world class talent on display, the intent is clearly to hype up the game to the status of a crucial Champions League showdown. But however much the game is promoted with glitz and glamour like any number of top level clashes taking place outside of the participants homelands this summer, you can’t help but ask the question how long will it be until the thirst of the global market for top level European football will demand only the sweetness of fully fledged competitive action?
A few seasons ago, there was talk of the Premier League introducing a 39th game for each club. The idea being a random additional fixture would take place for each team in a neutral venue overseas, thus enabling global fans to experience competitive Premier League action. The idea, although supported in some quarters, caused a bit of a storm and rightly so when considering the effects that 3 points could have in terms of relegation or Champions League qualification, not to mention the outcome of the title. Imagine if in the upcoming season Manchester City were drawn to play Chelsea in Los Angeles, whereas Manchester United were give Hull City in Buenos Aires – it would disjoint the fair notion of league football which founds itself on everyone playing everyone home and away, unlike in a cup competition where the draw can affect a side’s cup run drastically.
Although met with widespread objection based on the effect it could have on the balance of the league, the likelihood is that the demand for competitive European football across the world will bring the issue back into the spotlight once more over the coming decades.
I recall from a trip to Thailand in July 2007 regularly discussing English football with a local suit salesman. Having given up trying to sell me a suit after the third day of my visit, he would then call out ‘Mr Berbatov’ to me each evening and we would discuss the latest transfer news circulating from that day. The idea of visiting Old Trafford to see his beloved United made his eyes light up, and it is this intense passion for the European game abroad that adds weight to the idea that both the current pre-season tours and any potential future competitive action abroad might actually be a positive thing. Football has the opportunity to bring true the dreams of millions of global followers.
One idea could be for the top European leagues to replace domestic cup affairs with seeded knock out competitions participated in by the top 16 placed teams from the previous season. These tournaments could be hosted at the start, end or during the domestic season by one nation or on a global scale with Champions League spots for the winners. AC Milan vs Juventus in Bangkok, a Madrid derby in Tokyo, Manchester United vs Liverpool in Sydney – if success in these games had something meaningful riding on them in terms of financial reward or European Qualification it would be a mouth-watering prospect to local fans and hence a huge opportunity for the European clubs to generate yet more revenue. The television spectacle or opportunity to travel the world with their team might also appeal to many domestic fans of the teams too.
The flipside regarding the above would of course be the loss of traditional domestic cup competition that would inevitably have to happen in some regard within each nation implementing such a tournament. You would also then see yet further distancing of the top league in each country from the lower leagues, with less interaction between the clubs. But the interaction is arguably already at a minimalistic point when it comes to the field of play. Even when David vs Goliath cup draws are made nowadays the top division side will rarely field a full strength team, with most domestic cup competitions across Europe now a distinct second priority for top division clubs whose true needs are far more aligned to league performance with title challenging, Champions League qualification and avoiding relegation far more pressing issues. But there are still examples of domestic cup competitions providing real highlights to the domestic season, as was demonstrated when Bradford fought their way superbly to the League Cup final, defeating Arsenal and Aston Villa teams who certainly will have viewed the trophy as an opportunity for them to lift silverware. The progression of our domestic game into the global arena would put similar storylines into jeopardy yet further.
Although it’s an issue close to many people’s hearts, the potential to get competitive top level football exported around the globe will continue to be an issue to follow over the coming years as the modern game battles with its ambivalent embrace of the past and tradition.
Before we know it we will be lost back amongst the hustle and bustle of the fixture list and the strange world that is football’s summer season will be consigned to the back of our minds for another nine months.
Do pre-season fixtures offer value for money to football fans?
How do you think the game will evolve globally over the coming decades?
What transfer news / managerial changes are you most intrigued by this year?
Comment on this article below.
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