Issa funny ole game is football. We love it and yet… and yet… it has a unique and stupid model based on greed, self-serving narcissists and horrendous parasites known as ‘super-agents’. Which sounds a bit James Bond, something of a Jack Reacher, but in fact its generally some fat greasy dago type whose just pocketed a quick 20 million for sending a player who never wanted to leave his old club, to a new club who can’t afford him and he’ll probably do the same thing for the same player next year. Why wouldn’t he? Another 20 mil for nought. Good bizniss innit. But how can that happen? When the players have signed a 5 year contract? Well, contracts can be broken, can be ‘bought out’, can’t they.

So as a f’rinstance, f’rexample, take… well, let’s take Paul Pogba. English football’s most expensive player. Cost 92 million quid, probably PLUS the 20 odd million for his super-agent. I say ‘plus’ because for some unaccountable (but very countable) reason, the agent’s cut no longer seems to come from the player he represents (as in the old ‘Mr 10 Percent’ model) but is an additional cost to the club. For the agent ‘facilitating’ the deal. Yet as the agent represents the player, to be paid independently by the club as well is surely some massive conflict of interest. The agent wants the player to move where he (the agent) gets the best remuneration, regardless of the player (who he represents) best interest.

But this is a ‘grey area’ which has no legislation, no Premiership rules, no FIFA guidelines, no nuffink. It just happens.

And then Paul P earns about 300,000 pounds a week. Whether he plays or not, whether he’s injured or not, 300k in the bank. Because that’s in the contract and the law protects contracts. But not necessarily for both parties. Because should that player decide he wants to leave and play for Barcelona, as Pogba apparently did in the summer, his agent makes his approaches, seeing the $$$$$ signs ringing loud and clear, even though Pogba still has 4 years left on his contract at Man United.

But Man United refused to sell. Morinho wanted him to go but the club said ‘no’. So he stayed. And that is not working out too well for the club. In fact its awful and they’re in a total fucking mess. Because one unhappy player destabilises an entire club, we all know that. And even decent managers have massive difficulties overcoming such times. Stupidly egocentric managers like Morinho have no chance. And not much choice other than to drop his 92 million pound, 300 grand a week lowlife.

The clubs need to be protected from this in the player’s contracts. Like; if you decide to leave, HAVING SIGNED A CONTRACT FOR 5 YEARS, within that period, your wages drop to 10% of the normal until the club decides otherwise. And if you choose to play like an unmotivated, disruptive, one-legged tosser on Hackney Marshes every week, you’ll suffer in your bank account. The only kind of suffering with any meaning, sadly.

The ‘agents’ need to be sorted out, the players wages need somehow to be capped and the Financial Fair Play rules need to be implemented as the deterrent they were invented for. But unfortunately no-one is prepared to upset the ridiculous gravy-train that enriches everyone except the fans and ruins the spirit of our national game

Happy Sunday

A xxxx