Some people tell me that we professional players are soccer slaves. Well, if this is slavery, give me a life sentence. – Sir Bobby Charlton
In this time of economic uncertainty, it was somewhat disheartening to read of the impending £100 million transfer of Kaka to Manchester City.
The madness of the fee for one player is made even worse by the rumour that he will be paid £500,000 per week. The mind boggles, but I think it is not something you can blame the player for.
How many of us would jump at the chance to accept that? In fairness to the Brazilian midfielder, he does not seem keen to leave the bright lights of AC Milan for Manchester and join a team who are struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League this season.
The madness of transfer fees have long been the talk of football but this recent chaos is the work of the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment. The group took over Manchester City for £200 million in September of last year and immediately announced their intentions by signing Robinho for £32.5 million from Real Madrid.
Money makes football go around, but this recent news may delight Manchester City supporters but it does run the risk of alienating those that pay to see these “stars” perform. It has long been a complaint that footballers are out of touch with supporters and in some cases, reality. There is a world, not unlike celebrity, that most of us will never reach. Average footballers get paid thousands a week, while those in the stand earn a fraction of that.
Modern football has brought about a lot of positives, it is more of a family event now, with the downside being that not all families can afford it. Regular match packages offered by travel companies in Ireland can cost up to €500 to go on a two night trip to see the likes of Liverpool, Manchester Utd and Chelsea play.
In terms of Kaka, he may be one who actually appreciates how lucky he is. He once removed his jersey to reveal an “I Belong to Jesus” T-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup. Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations’ World Food Programme,
When he was 18, he recovered from a possible paralysing-inducing by defying all the odds following a swimming pool accident and attributes his recovery to God. He also donates around 10% of his salary to good causes.
So maybe some footballers do have a conscience and it is good to see that some use their fame for good.
The potential transfer is dangerous and will do more harm then good, I believe. It is one thing to want something and to be able to afford it. It is another thing to get it.
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 and is filed under Thoughts & Questions, Views on News.
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