Football’s great divide

UEFA is still planning plenty of football to close out the season.

The European administrators of the beautiful game remain hopeful that most of the leagues that fall under their ambit will complete their seasons.

But perhaps one of the less discussed aspects of the pandemic is just how it will eventually affect the transfer market later this year and, by extension, the next season in Europe. A recent report by KPMG has calculated a 27% drop in player values since February – something akin to a R200 billion drop. Manchester City, the richest club in England by player worth – at February their value was assessed as R1.2bn – has lost 22.6% of that value.

And the longer the absence of league football, the bigger the loss.

The long-term effects of Covid-19 are yet to be fully felt in this regard, but don’t expect the pandemic to act as a great equaliser, uplifting smaller clubs to financially compete with the big boys.

In fact, it will be these clubs that once again receive the greatest benefit, snaffling up promising young players, and devalued, yet talented individuals. The great divide between rich and poor, big and small clubs will only be exaggerated. Once the new season starts later this year, it will be much the same – the status quo reinforced rather than liberated.

And that is a shame. Uefa and its members could have used this opportunity to re-evaluate and reassess their structures, and worked towards a more inclusive and competitive model.

But yet again, who has the wealth will define this period of football.