One day - the day he retires - Sepp Blatter is finally going to do something right for football. In the meantime, it is astonishing how little he understands about the sport he mismanages.
His latest intervention, in favour of players such as Cristiano Ronaldo being able to move clubs simply by paying up their contracts, is such a remarkably one-sided presentation, at least in the quotes I have seen, that it sounds more like the words of the most self-serving agent or someone with the warped perspective of Ashley "measly five grand" Cole.
"I think in football there's too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere," the FiFA president tells Sky News.
"We are trying now to intervene in such cases. The reaction to the Bosman law is to make long-lasting contracts in order to keep the players and then if he wants to leave, then there is only one solution, he has to pay his contract."
That the comparison with slavery is offensive needs noting, as does the fact that it is grossly inaccurate. But it's the failure to mention that a player's contract brings obligations and advantages on both sides that is truly remarkable. It's the kind of thing some know-nothing free-market MP might say while talking about "association football".
What Blatter's presentation, as outlined in the papers, misses out entirely is the massive benefit a player receives by being guaranteed his income for the duration of a contract, regardless of form or fitness. The most famous example of this is Winston Bogarde, who wiled away the years with Chelsea's youth team and reserves while being paid a king's ransom, but he is far from alone.
The financial house of cards that was Peter Ridsdale's Leeds came crashing down and a fire sale took place to raise funds - but those players who could not find comparable deals at other clubs continued to be paid by Leeds for years after they were turning out in the colours of others.
If I ceased to be able to do my job to the required standard then there's no "reserve" newspaper or website I can work on while receiving my first-team pay. Only if football clubs go under can they avoid their football debts.
Footballers, with fixed-term contracts, do not have the benefits that continuous employment brings and at the lower levels it is to a degree a case of swings and roundabouts. However, it is in the nature of sport that playing football is only ever a limited career.
Players in the game's elite divisions are guaranteed huge sums for the duration of their deals. If they can renege on their obligations simply by paying their future wages (in practice, of course, they would be paid by the next club that employs them) then an already highly protected existence would become still more favourable.
One of the worst afflictions of the modern game is not, as Blatter would have us believe, clubs "transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere". That is what used to happen. The problem instead is the degree to which players believe the solar system revolves around them.
Blatter, too, believes that he is the sun. Robin Williams, who spent the 1994 World Cup draw talking to and about "Mr Bladder" had it rather better.
Philip Cornwall
Your Comments
diggy
"Hi Vincent, Not quite sure I'm understanding your last message. My argument was based around the freedom that Ronaldo has and indeed had to sign a contract. This is simple, I can't see how you would disagree. He had the freedom to sign or not to sign. As regards me resorting to personal insults about Blatter instead of having an objective debate, well I said one word on that, referring to him as a joke. Fair enough, but it's one 'insult' encased within a more than reasonable argument. To be honest, I cant make head nor tail of the last few lines of your message so I wont bother saying any more. I think you should have tried to understand my point a little more before replying."
vincent
"Hi diggi! You have to make an effort to state explicity that Blatter is right. Inplicitily you did make that statement by endorsing the fact that SLAVERY HAS TO DO WITH LACK OF FREEDOM AND NOT INCOME. You resorted to choose personal insults against Blatter inplace of an objective debate. Think about this. If you fail to get anywere there is one think you should do. And that is to conclude that Blatter was right to call a spade a spade. vincent "
diggy
"Vincent, you are right about one thing and one thing only. 'Slavery has to do with LACK OF FREEDOM AND NOT INCOME'. However, I've no idea how you still believe Blatter to be right. Have you signed any contracts recently?? I know I have, Work, Electricity, mobile phone, sky, etc. And guess what, nobody held a gun to my head. Of course there are stipulations in those contracts that I'm not happy about, does that make me a slave?? Ronaldo was more than happy to sign his contract with Man U when he thought of his nice big raise. Blatter is a joke, think you know that though or you wouldn't have had to post the same message twice just to fill up the pro Blatter column!"
vincent
"RICH SLAVES ! Blatter is correct to compare the human market in football to modern slavery. Slavery has to do with LACK OF FREEDOM AND NOT INCOME. I personally call the purchases and selling football players "SLAVERY OF THE ELITE". These player are owned by other humans and they are not free. If they were free to move elswhere there would not be all this about Ronaldo. In reality RONALDO talked about HIS dream. He see his wish as a dream. He knows it is miles away from reality even though he knows that his contract can be redeemed and all the penalties could be paid for. Yes BLATTER IS RIGHT. THIS MODERN AND SLAVERY OF THE ELITE." "
vincent
"RICH SLAVES Blatter is correct to compare the human market in football to modern slavery. Slavery has to do with LACK OF FREEDOM AND NOT INCOME. I personally call the purchases and selling football players "RICH SLAVES". These player are owned by other humans and they are not free. If they were free to move elswhere there would not be all this about Ronalda. In reality he talked about a dream. He see his wish as a dream. He know it is miles away from reality even though he knows that his contract can be redeemed and all the penalties could be paid for. Yes BLATTER IS RIGHT. THIS MODERN AND SLAVERY OF THE ELITE."
B3ian
"Ronaldo you are no No.7 just a spoiled brat, go to Madrid in my eyes you will never be a legend totally ungrateful "
CheshireRed
"Some cynic actually suggested the other day that as Blatter is an 'honorary' member of Real Madrid that his best chum Calderon could have put him up to this Ronaldo intervention. Perish the very thought, say I. "
miked
"Blatter is a disgrace and should be forced to resign. It is despicable for him to even mention the word slavery in connection to people paid hundreds of thousands of pounds a week. He has no morals and only seeks to serve his own financial interests. I wish I believed in a hell for him to go to."
killmossy
"it's not everyday, i wish someone just drop and die. but i wish that on sepp blatter as much as i do with mugabe. being of african origin, it's rather f?@king insulting to even portray ronaldo and others of his ilk as being slaves. my forebears are probably turning in their graves (if they can ever be found) right now. it is sickening that men like blatter and platini (someone i once believed reasonable) are allowed to make sure statements without censure, and i don't mean a written response by learned men but one that will ensure that sure are never allowed to speak for international organisations. pity FIFA has no oil, then we could have been assured that the USA would have already claimed that FIFA is a haven for terrorists. A pity..."
olaf_hammer
"If your paying someone £120.000 a week i dont think its unfair to make them play a lot of games, i would make them play all the reserve games as well. Also since when are Man U stopping Ronaldo from leaving, Real Madrid havent made an official approach have they, there is plenty boasting about how much money they have but no tabled offer, maybe they are banking on Man U buckling to Ronaldo's demands, dont think he is hard enough to argue with Sir Alex!!!!"
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