With the football transfer season in full swing, it's clear that supposed 'austerity' has had no effect on the spending of British clubs, with fee and wage inflation at record levels.
Vast amounts of money pumped into a few clubs, in fact a very few, means that it is only these which are able to attract the biggest names. Greedy agents and players line up to negotiate with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea in England, Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain, Bayern Munich in Germany and PSG in France. These heavyweights have access to so much money that, while they pick and choose, the rest are left to squabble about the dross.
When some players are transferred for sums approaching £100m and wages of £15m per year can be handed out, one has to ask where will it all end ? The big clubs no longer bother with recruiting youngsters from their local areas and attract little loyalty from their players; all that matters is the money. In England, only 3 clubs have a strong chance of winning the Premier League, while perhaps 3 or 4 more have a slim chance; barring a year like Leicester City enjoyed in 2015-16, a highly unlikely event, the rest have no chance of even finishing in the top 6. This effectively prevents them from gaining access to the lucrative world of European competitions as well as from the marketing opportunities available to the 'big clubs'.
Many ordinary people spend thousands of pounds, that they can ill afford, every year on football season tickets, travel, replica kits and assorted other memorabilia, enriching players and clubs while struggling to make ends meet at home. While some players are paid hundreds of thousands of pounds every week, most of those who contribute towards their wages can't even dream of such wealth; players can be paid as much in a single month as their fans are in a lifetime. It's wrong.
Football has become an obscene gravy train for a few very rich people. It will end, but how long will we have to wait for reality to kick in ?
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