By Andrea Caropreso
Index
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It has now become a recurring theme, almost like a summer hit. In modern football, top clubs are forced to play at least 50 matches a year. As a result, injuries increase, the quality of the show decreases, and coaches are not happy. But why is there so much football? Simply, to remain sustainable.
As UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin stated some time ago: “Clubs need it to pay salaries and bonuses. However, we have reached the limit, we cannot go further, but if you play fewer matches, salaries will decrease.”
The Need for Revenue
A very simple example is the new Champions League format. The new structure of the top European competition has added 2 to 4 more matchdays to the clubs’ calendars (in case of qualification for the playoff round leading to the Round of 16). A certainly fascinating format that has convinced many, but was designed and implemented at the clubs’ request. These clubs had long dreamed of a competition where the prize money would be higher to meet the financial needs of the organizations.
After the dark period of Covid, some top clubs that were struggling financially (namely Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus) laid the groundwork for the birth of the Super League. A competition where the prizes made available would have totaled €5 billion a year to be distributed among the clubs. Therefore, UEFA, after back-and-forth negotiations to bury the Super League project, had to meet the clubs halfway by building a richer Champions League. How? By increasing the number of matches and therefore the sponsorship deals. It’s a vicious cycle.
Prize Money from Competitions
Take Juventus as an example: over a season, they played in five competitions: the league, the national cup, the national super cup, the Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup to be played in early summer. If the club had advanced in all competitions, they could have played over 60 matches by July 14. Crazy numbers, which the club’s top management is well aware of, but which they cannot ignore because of the guaranteed income from these events.
Leaving aside the league and the national cup, which also provide several millions, Juventus even traveled to Saudi Arabia in the middle of the season to play the national Super Cup with Milan, Atalanta, and Inter because the Saudis guaranteed €8 million to the winner and €5 million to the finalist. These figures would then be supplemented by merchandising sales and the promotion of the brand abroad.
The new Champions League alone offers almost €3 billion to be distributed among the 36 participating teams. Each qualified club for the group stage received €18.62 million (an increase from the previous edition’s €15.64 million). Whoever reaches the final will pocket an additional €18 million. Such figures are possible only thanks to the global increase in the number of matches.
What Solutions?
In reality, there is no real solution to this ever-growing phenomenon. What could be done is a general reduction in the football economy. If clubs agreed to lower their costs, and if the entire sector accepted lower wages, perhaps the number of matches could be reduced.
This is an issue that coach Carlo Ancelotti also raised some time ago. The Italian manager pointed out that players would even be willing to accept lower salaries in exchange for a lighter schedule and less physical and mental stress. Perhaps this would be the only path, but it’s hard to believe that when it comes to touching one’s own salary, it would be an easily accepted option.
By Andrea Caropreso
