![]() ![]() “Because we’re customers, we now believe we’re opening ourselves up to exploitation if we act in that ultra-loyal way,” he said of fans’ current reluctance to attend every game. Brand loyaltyĭrasdo blamed modern football’s corporate nature for changing traditional aspects of the game, where fanatical fans have been turned into customers because of their ‘brand loyalty’. ![]() ![]() He also expressed concern that England’s national team had suffered because of the presence of so many foreign players, and said Scotland’s league had deteriorated in similar fashion but improved once it returned to fielding more locally born players. “I enjoy women’s football more than men’s because no one dives or rolls about.” “One of the best things football has done is drive the fight against bigotry, sexism and racism, because any time such issues raise their ugly heads, football – because it is a business – has to do something.”īut what about the negative implications? Nevin suggested that most players who claim to play for the love of football are lying: “They play for the money, and there is too much cheating now,” he said. “Those social issues the game is working on – I’m proud of them,” said Nevin. Nonetheless, the Premier League does give money to grassroots football and the Football Foundation, and says some £800m of the new deal will go to such causes. Nevin believes it is only natural that the chief actors in any drama (albeit “unscripted” as Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore likes to say) get the most cash. However, there was some benefit according to Drasdo, clubs’ riches have made the Premier League a more balanced and competitive championship.Ĭollins wants to see the cash trickle down to football’s grassroots but is sceptical: “Running a big football club now is like running a Hollywood studio – it’s a content business,” he said. The latter have “become more powerful than the sport they represent – that’s the problem with football,” he said. Photograph: James Turner/GuardianĬollins said although businesses were always looking to maximise profits, it was legitimate to ask if the ‘spirit of the game’ was being lost given the power held by both agents and players. ![]()
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