How much of it is actually attributable to the players and their inner circle or unnamed ‘sources’ invented by the news-breaker is unclear, but the notion of players using the media to discuss such matters is widely derided by those on the terraces. But is this not just another example of double standards from football fans? One of their players wants off and they’re money-mad mercenaries yet should someone be declaring a penchant for moving in their direction and the news is greeted with open arms.
The same contradictions apply to many aspects of player loyalty yet the angst from purported hard-done by fans rarely stretches past criticisms of chasing cash. Hypothetically, if Dembele had wanted to join Spurs, could Fulham fans really blame him and would they view him in any lesser light than their very own Bryan Ruiz, who left FC Twente to challenge himself in the English league? And would Spurs have welcomed a player who was so ready to leave a club higher in the table, when they were so critical of Luka Modric for wanting to do likewise?
Of course the argument stretches further and wider than Dembele, Fulham and Spurs, but this case only further highlights the constant propaganda charade that players, clubs and fans alike all perform as individual entities.
Clubs are constantly involved in an evolutionary process to better themselves and recruits brought in to improve the team are often included to the detriment of another former asset who could easily be disposed of with little conscience or afterthought. Loyalty works one way in football, and thats fan to club. Club to player and player to club is nothing more than an employer-employee relationship with one using the other for as much as they’re worth.
The lengthy contracts players sign are another dual agreement. Clubs know they can effectively tie individuals to them knowing they can recoup a transfer fee, and often elevate that fee mid-term. Overall, the liberty of being allowed to seek work elsewhere is a basic civil employment right, just as many people reading this very article will have a recruitment website open on another browsing tab and looking at it rationally, this notion has long since become a reality with the denial of the post-modernist game only slightly tinged by the sepia-toned visions football fans still glint their eyes to see. The footballers are the pantomime villains but rarely are they the real crooks of the piece.
The article was written by John Baines for FootballFancast.com. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.
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