The power held by the richest clubs in club football in deciding how to run the game has been reduced has fallen in recent years. This has taken place due to the stand taken by important bodies especially UEFA and FIFA which has meant that many of football’s traditional values have made a comeback. 2 of these big changes are mentioned here, however, there is still a lot that can be done.

The first big change occurred in 2003, when UEFA eliminated for once, and for all, the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Put simply, the second group stage had been created to maximise the amount of revenue that participating clubs could get. More games meant more money. But more games also meant more player burnouts. It was an exercise in which the main losers were the players themselves.

The other loser was the football fan. 2 group stages simply meant that we had to go through watching each team play 12 games over a couple of months where there would never be a do-or-die situation. It was ultimately boring and a great shame because the greatness and prestige of the European Cup (as it was called before) had been built upon magnificent, nerve-wrecking knockout games. Going through 2 group stages before reaching the knockout meant that the spirit of the European Cup was slowly dying away in the face of money hungry clubs.

Following the removal of the second stage, the other big change that has reduced clubs’ influence in the way football is run was the disappearance of the G14 group of clubs. G14 was a group of the richest clubs in the world, and it served solely to promote their interests against political heavyweights, most notably UEFA and FIFA.

What was best for the game was never the concern of the G14 group of clubs. For example, for some time, there was talk of forming a European league solely for the richest clubs in the world. Fortunately, it didn’t happen mainly due to the stand FIFA and UEFA took. During the existence of the G14 group, the gulf between rich and poor clubs grew immensely, which means that the end of G14 in January of this year could finally mean that this problem can be rectified.

The removal of the 2nd group stage was just one step in the right direction for football’s battle against club’s interests. Political heavyweights especially FIFA and UEFA are going in the right direction by taking control from the clubs. The new proposed ‘6+5 rule’ seems to be another positive step forward for football in general if it gets implemented everywhere. In fact, my next article will cover the advantages and disadvantages of such a rule if it comes into force.

However, despite the advances made in the last couple of years, there is still much left to be desired. The difference between rich and poor does not seem to be closing, meaning that even small clubs that consistently get full houses are struggling to break even. This is the sad reality of those that have got it all and those that have barely anything. The solution to this problem is not easy, however I will outline some potential solutions in future articles.

One important feature of football that has possibly disappeared forever is club loyalty. You would be hard pressed to find a player who stays with a single club for their entire career today. This may simply be the result of large amounts of money circulating in the game today. In players’ eyes, money seems to give more rewards than loyalty and this is not a good precedent for football.

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