Over the last few decades, association football has changed in various ways. Undoubtedly, professional football has become an impressive industry. One only has to quote Forbes classification of the top 50 valuable teams in different disciplines as a clear example. Manchester United, with 659 million fans around the world and a hefty debt of €535.19 million, tops the list and is valued at €1.8 million. Football is full of marketing and commercial gurus who have come on the scene and produce items that fans willingly buy.

The situation today hardly compares with that of yesteryear. The game is continually passing through change, mainly to bring higher income for football clubs and federations. No wonder that players’ relaxation after a long season is becoming more limited than ever, as clubs participate in exhibition matches during the summer because of demands mostly due to impressive contracts and high salaries on their pay roll.

And FIFA and UEFA don’t lag behind in this money-generating machine. The world ruling body made a profit of about two billion dollars from the World Cup in South Africa two years ago. The first Euro Competition – formerly known as the UEFA Nations Cup Competition – featuring 16 nations was introduced in 1996, when the income was merely €147 million. Four years later this increased to €230 million and the latest competition – Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine – has added €1,355 million to UEFA’s coffers. These fantastic figures of the respective federations show that football is not just a sport.

Gear

Interesting changes have occurred at a fast rate in several factors connected with the game. Of course, the gear has undergone a number of big changes. Shorts have ranged from baggy and rather short to almost bermudas, while footballers’ tops are now not much different to those worn by cyclists, with names, numbers and different promotional adverts from sponsors filling all available space. At times, teams are conditioned by demands made by television companies regarding what colours are to be worn. Shin pads have become compulsory while the football boots worn these days are coloured and made of soft material, which supposedly makes ball control much easier and helps gifted footballers play ball tricks with more accuracy. A very clear example is the outcome of dead ball situations from near the penalty area. Analysts reckon that 20 per cent of the total goals scored come from such free kicks.

The Black Knights of the Whistle discarded the traditional black outfits in the mid-1980s and now wear coloured tops and shorts – something unheard of before, even when they had changed their jackets and white shirts in favour of more comfortable black T-shirts. It is worth adding that in important tournaments there are now five officials instead of the traditional three that we had had for decades. In Israel everyone welcomed the appearance of a 30-year-old former model, Lilay Asolin, controlling a senior match. And, yes, we have women refs too.

A blue surface

The traditional green surfaces may soon become history as a second division Dutch club, Telstar of Velsen, painted the surface blue, claiming that if tennis and athletic tracks have the luxury of presenting different coloured surfaces, why can’t different coloured surfaces be introduced in football. Apparently FIFA decrees that artificial turf must be green, but there is nothing which stipulates that the natural turf could not be of a different colour and not just green!

Apart from these cosmetic changes there are other differences worthy of note. The balls now used are very different from those of a few years back, when balls with lacers were simply dangerous. The grounds are safer and more comfortable, with numbered seats, while the surrounding track parades innumerable adverts with those behind the corner flags and goals being certainly more popular and expensive. Entrance tickets are not cheap and watching football is certainly no longer the poor man’s sport.

Goal line technology

Since the World Cup final at Wembley Stadium way back in 1966, when linesman Tafik Bakhramov signalled an England goal only through intuition, this has been the subject of millions of discussions but no solutions and, in fact, thousands of ‘goal, no goal’ situations are recorded annually in world wide football matches. The controversies at different levels ranged from a ‘status quo situation’ – meaning that decisions are at the sole discretion of referees – to the introduction of modern equipment to make it easier for the officials on duty.

In recent years, UEFA supremo Michel Platini – who was always in favour of human football which obviously includes human errors – insisted on the addition of goal line judges who could help referees and their assistants, as the former linesmen are now known.

Platini is under the illusion that it is elementary for a goal judge standing just a few meters away from a goal to reach a perfect decision – which is not the case, as was proved during the Euro 2012 match between England and Ukraine, with goal judge Vad failing to judge that John Terry’s clearance was well in! Furthermore, in the same tournament Pirlo of Italy handled on the goal line in the match against Ukraine, while Jacobsen of Denmark did the same against Holland, but both incidents went unnoticed.

Sepp Blatter has now been converted on the subject of goal line technology and the introduction of sensors will eventually regulate the situation – a decision that was approved by the International Board. Remembering the decision by the Board regarding back passes to the goalkeeper, which was meant to speed up the game with eventual positive effects, maybe they haves come up trumps with this important decision. However Platini’s insistence on goal judges will be retained, making one wonder if this decision is just a diplomatic agreement.

Platini rightly advocates that the introduction of modern technology will and should only affect goal or no-goal decisions and will not be considered for other situations like penalty or no penalty, offside decisions and the rest.

One must consider very seriously the effects on the game through the Bosman ruling and Rupert Murdoch’s introduction of pay-TV. It is also worth studying the effects on the game of sheiks and others buying a total of 20 per cent of European clubs. Their wealth affects the transfer market, and top-class players with shrewd agents and profitable lawyers sign contracts worth tens of millions of euro!

One must remember Platini’s call for ‘fair play finances’ which is mainly directed at clubs to keep a balance between income and expenditure.

The salaries of players and coaches can hardly compare with contracts signed a few decades back. The “immortal” Helenio Herrera of Barcelona, Inter and Roma fame was the highest paid coach in the world in 1968 with a salary of approx. €134,000 when he coached the giallorossi, whereas now Jose Mourinho of Real Madrid is on €12m a year, plus perks. The one and only Pep Guardiola refused an offer of €15m from Roman Abramovic to take over the reins at Chelsea.

Abramovic has invested millions in Chelsea since buying the club in 2003 and is still interested in Guardiola while keeping on the look out for Mourinho and Joachim Loew. Recently, Zlatan Ibrahimov has signed a three-year contract with Paris San Germain for €42m, although he was not doing so badly with AC Milan on €12m a year.

Mentioning transfers and the fees involved one wonders where the money goes and why club owners like Berlusconi declares that no one is to leave Milan but the next day the truth comes out and two big earners sign for PSG!

Corruption

Corruption in football has existed from the start. A very large number of investigations have been carried out and conclusions have been drawn after administrators, players and referees have been accused of taking bribes, but many thousands of other such cases have never seen the light of day.

One particular investigation, the outcome of which is being awaited with much interest, concerns the Norway-Malta encounter of 2 June 2007 played at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo and won by Norway 4-0. According to the evidence of Marijo Cvrtak before a judge sitting in Bochum Law Courts apparently four Maltese players sold the game; they were bribed by a Croatian syndicate while in their hotel. According to MFA President Norman Darmanin Demajo, there is overwhelming evidence to prove these allegations and an investigative 500-page report was forwarded to UEFA last March.

Corruption seems rampant in many countries – ranging from Poland to Turkey, Italy and other countries.

The allegations that former FIFA President Joao Havalange or the current head Sepp Blatter are corrupt have long been in the public domain.

This month, Havalange and the 65-year-old former President of the Brazilian Football federation Ricardo Teixeira, were named as beneficiaries of bribes from the marketing firm known as International Sport & Leisure (ISL) by the prosecutor in the Swiss canton of Zug, who alleged that between 1990 and 2000 they were paid €34.1 by the now defunct FIFA marketing firm. This case was first mentioned by Andrew Jennings, the presenter of FIFA Dirty Secrets on BBC Panorama way back in November 2010. The famous writer – who himself deserves a medal for his investigations – alleged that Teixeira had made €7.66 in bribes from the now defunct FIFA marketing firm ISL. Jennings also exposed 66-year-old Issa Hayatou from the Cameroons as making €12.625 from ISL. The strange fact is that although Hayatou is still under investigation, FIFA appointed him as the Head of Football during the London Olympics. Hayatou is a member of the FIFA Executive and also an IOC member.

Systems and ownership

There is no doubt that different systems of play have been introduced by clever mentors. One must recall that there is no time or space in today’s top level football. What was evidently clear during Euro2012 was that most teams ensured they had eight to nine players in their defensive third of the field when the opponents had possession.

The written media introduced marks on the performance of players. This is a gimmick and is worthless and trivial.

The playing of national anthems prior to the start of international matches has become an added attraction. Some do it with respect, others like Buffon sing with real feeling and give the impression that l’inno di Mameli is a prayer. On the other hand, when Serbia was playing recently 20-year-old Adem Ljalic did not utter a word for personal reasons, despite the fact that singing the national anthem is one of the 20 conditions with which the selected players must abide. Ljalic was sent home by Sinisa Mihaljovic for not singing the Serbian national anthem.

Platini came to his rescue when he said: “I never sang The Marsigliese as it is a war hymn which has nothing to do with football.” To each his own!

The Spaniards are exempt from such situations, as the Marca Real is just music without lyrics!

Perhaps it is more important to study the effects on the European Game of rich moguls from outside the EU who are buying European clubs. At the moment 18 clubs from a total of 144 that participate in the eight most important leagues are owned by such billionaires, despite the fact that a study by Havas Sports and Entertainment show that 65 per cent of European followers of the game are against foreign ownership. Germany and Spain have put a barrier to avoid what is happening in England and elsewhere. They have the 50 per cent+1 rule in favour of clubs run by local groups.

One is immediately reminded of PSG since it was taken over by Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, or Manchester City since Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE bought the club in 2008.

Ten UK Premier League clubs are owned by foreigners and they only need four more to start dictating and meddling with competition rules. There are already hints that they want to do away with the system of promotion and relegation!

Spanish clubs Getafe, Malaga and Racing Santander are owned by the Royal Emirates Group of UAE, Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani of Qatar and Ahsan Ali Syed of India respectively.

Beira-Mar of Alviero, in Portugal and AS Roma, like Aston Villa, Arsenal, Blackburn, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers and Hearts (Heart of Midlothian, Edinburgh) are also run by foreigners who hold a majority of the clubs’ shares.

Betting can kill football

One of the current threats to sport – and particularly to football – is legal and illegal betting. Match fixing has existed for decades and is undoubtedly worrying because it can kill football. The syndicates found in Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia are regarded as being worse than terrorists.

It is estimated that illegal betting constitutes a turnover of €113 billion a year as compared to €72.6 billion in legitimate wagers. In its global fight against illegal sports betting and match-fixing, FIFA has pledged €16.16 to create a unit within Interpol in Singapore dedicated to rooting out match-fixing.

Will it resolve anything? How can one control players’ betting through third parties that can influence results?

The local situation

It is only fitting to mention the highly positive changes that are being made in local football.

Since Norman Darmanin Demajo’s election as President of the Malta FA in August 2010, a number of measures have been introduced. The fact that clubs have better facilities and more income speaks volumes and another positive aspect is the increase in attendances.

Attention has also been given to grassroots, women’s and youth’s football. There is no doubt that ‘DD’ and Malta FA CEO Bjorn Vassallo form a winning team, without disregarding the contribution made by members of the previous administration.

Football is continually changing. Commercial demands are behind many of these changes, especially on the professional scene, but there are millions of youngsters who simply love the game and are certainly not affected by such changes. For all of them, football remains a healthy sport.

Tony Formosa is a former national football team coach