Is Football Really Lacking in Professionalism?

SO KON PO, HONG KONG – JULY 29: Alex Song of Arsenal FC reacts during the pre-season Asian Tour friendly match between Kitchee FC and Arsenal at Hong Kong Stadium on July 29, 2012 in Hong Kong.

Professional football, as it is called, requires a lot of discipline from the players. They are professionals of course, so it comes as a surprise that you might expect anything different. In the recent past however, there have been a number of incidents that really make you question the extent of professionalism, or the exact definition of the term. Is it just a matter of convenience that players and teams use to place one another in a tight spot?

Whenever a player is looking to sanction a move from one team to another, the managers will be quick to point out that the players are not acting in a professional manner. Indeed the players are contract bound to their clubs, and for this reason it is only fair that they remain loyal to the status quo. However, who looks out for the players? The money hungry agents??

It is important to understand that players are investments to the club, and each club makes purchases where fit so that they can be able to achieve their long term goals. What this therefore means is that the players are just but a means to an end, where the end in this case is the long term profitability of the clubs, most of which are thriving businesses.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Stephen Warnock of Aston Villa is tackled by Emmanuel Adebayor of Tottenham Hotspur as team-mate James Collins looks on during the Barclays Premier League between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on May 6, 2012 in Birmingham, England.)

The one thing that we fail to understand is that these players do have a future, and they do have a right to make sure that the future is bright. Let’s face it, you never play football forever. At some point you have to call it quits, but you never know when. With this regard, it would be wise to say players are justified to ask for pay rises and to seek glory elsewhere if they deem that the club they are playing at does not seem to fulfill their current level of ambition.

Players are therefore an investment, but you only wonder what happens to the happy smiles when they want to leave to another team. Some brand them names; selfish, money hungry, traitors, but all in all, they do have families to look out for when they finally hang their boots and call time to their careers. Therefore this rather justifies the reason why players like Didier Drogba decided to make the switch to huge spending Shanghai Shenhua all the way in China, because over there they can worship him and give him a huge send off as he walks off into the sunset. Explains why Robin Van Persie is keen to see of his last few years at Manchester United, because he is more confident of adding a title to his name. Nasri won a trophy in his first year at Manchester City, and it only took Fabregas a few weeks to get the winning feeling.

SWINDON, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Footballer Didier Drogba carries the Olympic flame through Swindon on May 23, 2012 in Wiltshire, England. The Olympic Flame arrived in the UK last Friday and is now on day five of a 70-day relay involving 8,000 torchbearers covering 8,000 miles.

This however does not mean that teams should take advantage of this and inflate the market with excessive money. The selling clubs indeed benefit from the commercial windfall that comes with the sales, but what happens to the talent? It is exported elsewhere to thrive and build other teams, who do not have the academies but have the money to buy whoever they please. In essence it is more like brain drain, but then again, everyone is looking for glory, by all means possible. The only question is, who will rescue the struggling Portsmouths and Rangers FCs?