The reputation of football has been through the mire in recent times. Whether it is Chelsea ‘fans’ in Paris, pitch markings in Croatia, or the actions of FIFA, football has paid the price for wider social issues. Football is not blameless, far from it, but it is often forgotten that sport in general is a reflection of society, and football is a microcosm of the world we live in.
Currently played by over 250 million people in over 200 countries, football is a truly global game. It dates back to nearly 400 B.C.E. with those mighty and wise ancient Greeks. Oh how they would weep at the fate of the current Greek side! Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the Cambridge Rules were drawn up in 1848 that Football began to gain a structure in England. This paved the way for the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863 and the original 13 laws of the game (now 17). As football gained popularity across the world, the International Football Association Board was set up to oversee the game and, with it, FIFA rose to prominence. The first FIFA World Cup was held in 1930, hosted by Uruguay, and it continues to be the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world.
The media has had a significant role in bringing the sport to a larger audience, as well as having a big influence on the nature and culture of football. In the UK alone, Match of The Day is a permanent fixture during the football season; Sky Sports is an essential companion, and the newspaper is a Sunday must. The media and football go hand in hand, whether we like it or not. Increased media coverage has also seen more money come into the game and with greater exposure and income brings an increase in quality of resources. Stadia continue to develop and grow, equipment improves, and the ability of players and staff continue to exceed the boundaries of rational thought (see Lionel Messi). But ticket prices are no different. It would be easy to say fans are being exploited by clubs but this is to be generic and naïve. Let us explore this further.
Football has a diverse fan base, and draws on players from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and locations. Likewise, football fans come in all shapes and sizes, as do their incomes, commitments and allegiances. For a football fan has no specific profile yet we are all tarnished with the same brush: portrayed as yobs, reprobates and racists. Not all enjoy a song on the terraces, not all speak in expletives, and not all associate themselves with a specific club, let alone their local club. Likewise, not all can afford the extortionate fees being charged to watch their ‘local’ team.
Nevertheless, clubs have to balance the books. Arsenal’s gate and matchday receipts accounted for 30% of their annual turnover in 2013, and at the other end of the Premier League pay scale Norwich City gate receipts accounted for around 15% of annual turnover. Thus it can be easily surmised that without the fans, clubs may well cease to function. But with a wage bill of £154 million at Arsenal and £233 million at Manchester City, it is easy to see the value of TV and broadcasting rights for the sport as a whole. Fans, thankfully, are not the sole income for football clubs any more, and we are all the better for it.
However, it is forgotten that Football fans drive the sport forward. Our passion gives the beautiful game impetus to develop, our money creates jobs and resources, and our interest gives it an audience. But we as fans also neglect the extent to which football gives our lives value. Football gives us a reason to travel – otherwise who else would visit Stoke or Carlisle on a cold Tuesday night in November? Football provides an escape from the everyday monotony of growing old – what other aspect of an individual’s life can cause such variable emotions every weekend for nearly ten months of the year? And football creates relationships and memories that last a lifetime.
Fortunately, we are somewhat left to our own devices. Able to freely travel the country and the world to support ‘our’ team. But this is getting harder and harder. England fans have an insidious reputation thanks to incidents home and abroad which have left fans being treated as cattle across the globe. In England it is not an uncommon sight to see away fans being heavily escorted by the police to and from the stadium for ‘safety’ reasons. Likewise, in Europe English fans are treated with caution and disdain by police and locals.
Some might argue that this ill treatment is unjustified, but as the saying goes, ‘you reap what you sow’. Football fans may hate being stereotyped but we have a responsibility to ourselves and others as citizens and supporters of the great game. Too often do we stand idle to violence and abuse inside and out of the ground. Clubs and associations are no different: Luis Suarez should never have been allowed to make a living from football following the Evra incident, let alone after the infamous and numerous bites. The same can be said of Cantona’s Kung Fu Kick.
No-one is above the law, yet football puts itself on a pedestal and protects itself. It is strange how the media and British public are so welcoming of the FIFA investigation but fail to consider our own shortfalls. We made the game what it is today and should set the benchmark for transparency and equality. English football should act as a role model and it can start with the fans.
We, the fans, are football. We live it, breathe it, digest it. Similarly, we are not separate from society, we shape it, fund it, work within it. We are the upper class, we are the working class, we are the north, we are the south. So let’s stop with all this football bashing and accept that we all have shortfalls. Football is for many an incentive, an identity, a community. And with this comes social issues such as racism and violence. That is to be expected. But let’s treat all football fans with the respect we deserve because we are the heartbeat of society.
