Whilst fans pride themselves on showing their loyalty to their badge, it appears the nature of football has become so that loyalty no longer has a place in the game. This week, Jose Mourinho confirmed he will be manager of AS Roma for the 2021/2022 season.
Unsurprisingly, this news left a bitter taste in the mouth of Inter Milan fans. Though they themselves have just been guided to a Serie A title by Antonio Conte; a Juventus legend.
This isn’t the first time Mourinho has shown his ruthlessness either. The Portuguese tactician didn’t hesitate to take the job at Manchester United or Spurs, after making his name at Chelsea. This ability to remove any emotion from his decisions and be so disloyal is hard for fans to stomach.
Agents killing the game
The power an agent has in the game today cannot be overstated either. The fact they stand to gain enormous bonuses when a player does sign for a new club leads me to believe there’ll be many failing to do their job properly. Instead of steering their client to the best decision for themselves, they will push them to seek pastures new, often ignoring premier league tips in favour of Chinese football if it suits them.
The well-known Super-Agent Mino Raiola, who reportedly made 25 million euros himself from Paul Pogba’s move to Manchester, is pushing for young sensation Gigi Donnarumma to leave boyhood club Milan on a free this summer. The Italian was given his debut at just 16. Something that is unheard of and even more so for a goalkeeper.
The club have recently handed him the captain armband and are offering a whopping 10 million a year contract so why hasn’t he extended? Pure greed and unmatched disloyalty. Understandably, fans were so left so insulted they offered the player a direct ultimatum, sign the contract in the next seven days or never wear our shirt again.
Directors disconnected from fans
The global pandemic has emphasised the importance of fans, with their absence from stadiums being truly felt. But the shocking emergence of the proposed European Super League, opened my eyes to the naivety of the directors at these elite clubs. Immediately, it was apparent the fans would not accept this. The only motivation behind this decision from the clubs was to secure their future. It would’ve destroyed the sport entirely, but that was a fact they could live with if their pockets were bulging.
German system works better
Going forward, I hope something good can be gained from this debacle. An approach similar to that in Germany would be welcomed. There the fans must own a majority stake in the club. Loyalty should be rewarded and greed needs to be removed from the game we love. As they say; players, managers and owners come and go but the fans will always remain.