To many, football is everything. Our creed. Our passion. Our way of living. We define ourselves by the club we support, and we’ll be there during the good, the bad, and the downright infuriating.
Fans are the reason that stadiums the world over are sold out. Fans are the reason that the Premier League receives billions per year in worldwide television revenue. Fans are the reason that players like Neymar Jr can turn Tuesday night street football in suburban São Paulo into moving to Europe and playing for the world’s most prestigious clubs in the UEFA Champions League – and get paid well for it.
However, fans are seldom given the respect they deserve. Sure, football clubs have family days and they upload fan appreciation posts on social media at the end of a season, but these gestures often seem like an unwilling obligation to connect with paying customers (and receive repeat business) as opposed to a genuine appreciation for club supporters.
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The growing disconnect between clubs, players and fans is a concerning trend, and one which was highlighted last week at an Oxford Union address by Arsenal defender Héctor Bellerín. To his credit, Bellerín discussed several important issues in football, most notably mental health and racism.
However, when he was asked about ArsenalFanTV – an independent, fan-operated social media team known for controversial opinions on Arsenal Football Club – he caused quite a stir with some of his comments.
In his speech, Bellerín questioned the legitimacy of supporters who criticise players when they play below acceptable standards, and he suggested that ArsenalFanTV happily profited from team failures. Whether or not you agree with the opinions broadcast on ArsenalFanTV, his comments showed a lack of respect to people who spend money and time following the club.
The purpose of this article is not to discuss ArsenalFanTV – it is to discuss the mentality of clubs and players, and their often unspoken derision towards supporters. The derision does not lie within the overly cheery social media posts created by public relations teams on behalf of players and clubs – it lies in press conferences. It lies in annual general meetings with supporters’ trusts, and in rare cases such as Bellerín’s, when a player shows obvious disdain towards a group of supporters without a public relations team behind them pulling the strings.
Deep down, football clubs are commercial entities operating in self-interest. They vary on the basis of wealth, assets and fan-base, but they all have one thing in common: they want to operate internally as much as possible. Which is a nice way of saying that they’d rather supporters gave them thousands of dollars per year and in return let them do whatever they wanted with as minimal external disruption as possible.
Club stadiums, training grounds and head offices are as closed off from the public as possible, and only a select few have access to the inner sanctum of a club. The problem with wanting fans to be ignorant to club performances is simple: fans are emotionally invested.
Which means that rational opinions (especially after a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League) aren’t going to always be possible. Supporters will be there during the good, the bad, and the downright infuriating, and opinions generally reflect the performance of the team.
(AP Photo/Jon Super)
The issue that clubs and players are facing is that the rise of social media has given fans a platform to have their say, and their influence is growing. Information is disseminated instantaneously and the opinions of regular fans are being viewed by millions of people.
Social media channels such as ArsenalFanTV are beginning to wield substantial influence in the wider footballing world. There has been discussion that ArsenalFanTV had an impact on Arsenal’s newfound spending practices in the transfer market.
But more than that, regular fans are now having the ability to hold their club accountable to prescribed performance benchmarks – which has long been the domain of shareholders and to a smaller degree, the football media.
Bellerín’s remarks highlight the disconnect between clubs, players and fans, and the dichotomous nature of opinion, criticism and feedback. But more than that, his remarks highlight that negative opinions from fans are brushed aside as irrelevant and that all that matters is the safe and secure inner sanctum of a football club, which in an ideal world would be able to quash dissent and operate without any external negativity whatsoever.
However, we can see that the rise of social media has given a voice to the voiceless, and even though players like Héctor Bellerín will likely continue to snub their nose at the peasant commoners beneath them, maybe other players and clubs will begin to understand that fans are passionate and emotional about the club they love – and that they don’t travel to Belarus in the middle of winter if they’re only there to criticise.
Kangajets
Guest
I knew I didn’t like Aston villa and now I know why
Kris
Guest
And Ian Rush went to Juventus because he loved Italian culture and Johan Cruyff had a passionate love for beach life. Things have been going downhill ever since 1893. "The first recorded record transfer was of Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa for £100 in 1893."
pacman
Guest
Puskas ended up at Real as a direct result of the Hungarian Revolution. The Hungarian national team was touring Europe at the time of the uprising, and the majority of the team decided against returning to Hungary, with some moving to Real, and some to Barcelona. They were welcomed with open arms, and Hungarian football never recovered, not even to this day. The partnership between Puskas and DiStefano was fortuitous, but as far as Puskas was concerned, money, fame and fortune were secondary.
Buddy
Guest
You summed up the dichotomy beautifully. There are ownership models where there is room for fans views and doing what they want although even then, the decision making goes down to those entrusted with key positions. Best example of a big club I can offer is The Green Bay Packers - owned by the fans and they get plenty of voice. The hard part of the equation is where fans commit to something they believe in or wish to believe in and it doesn’t match the ideals and wishes of the actual club. It is then called a disconnect whereas it may not be at all!
Buddy
Guest
Yes no problem. It is a juicy subject to debate and as you age, your opinion will most likely alter too. If it generates some discussion with degenerating into name calling nd strings of expletives....I’m all for it on social media!
Kris
Guest
Has anything really changed though? Puskas and DiStefano didn't end up at Real because they were backpackers who dreamed of opening a taverna in Madrid. The game has always seen players move and always for money.
Will
Guest
The game has changed so much, these fans are seen as customers and players move around the club to club without any loyalty they have attached to that club. The game lacks emotion and attachment and due to the money being involved that's why i prefer international football over the club scene these days, unlike 20 years ago where club football had oxygen. I always respect players that have played with 1 or 2 clubs for there whole career than a player that moves to one big club to the next to chase the fame and the money, case in point with Neymar who has gone from Santos, Barcelona, PSG and rumours have it Real Madrid possibly for next season. The reality of modern football sadly.
LuckyEddie
Guest
When the Managers/Clubs start listening to Gossip Media it's time they resigned and went home and played silly games on to stir up rubbish on Twitter/Facebook.
Kris
Guest
I've read thousands of variations of this 'disconnect with the fans' article and none have have actually said what clubs should do, or what not disconnected looks like. The players have to come around to your house and pour you a beer? Arsene Wenger has to pick the formation that you want? Players should agree with you that one of their teammates should be sacked? Players should speak out publicly about their work colleagues and managers so that they can be seen to share your opinion? If Hector Bellarin from his informed position of knowing the teams' tactics and performance disagrees with the opinions of a group of self-appointed experts - he is at fault? What is this connection you speak of behind generic mortherhood statements? Spending the 10s of thousands of hours and making the numerous sacrifices in his life to get a game with Arsenal entitles Bellarin to his opinion. Spending 50quid a week to sit in a stadium gives you the right to watch a match.
R King
Guest
Buddy, what a great summary. I'd like to post this on a FB page, with your permission.
SquareBall
Guest
I thought Hector Bellerin made a reasonable point that he, as a player, is unaffected by fans who feel compelled to go public with their criticism and legitimize their action by purporting to represent the silent majority. Let's be honest; there is no greater example of self-righteousness and myopia than that represented by a diehard football fan. As for the romantic, naïve and gullible notion that major 'clubs' still have an unbreakable bond with their supporters; clubs like Arsenal are now a multi-million dollar, globally branded, corporate entity and, as such, have more in common with Apple and Heineken than they do with your local football team. Why else would they tour the world in the off-season and charge you $100+ for a shirt promoting their major sponsor?
Kangajets
Guest
Fans on the gunners tv channel are incredibly abusive , they need to look at themselves. I think Wenger should be under pressure more then Bellerin, but , nevertheless, the gunners are in another cup final on Sunday. I don’t think any top flight club in Europe has community engagement , because they are so big. Connect with your local suburban or conference team is more realistic.
Square Nostrils
Guest
One thing missing in this article and its the element of fan support that goes much deeper than a football club. Its the pride in who you are ,where you come from, that manifests itself by supporting your local football(whatever sport) team. Its the reason clubs in the lower leagues shielded from the "disconnect between clubs, players and fans" of the Arsenals of the football world( who are driven as much by business as sporting passion) still turn up to see Grimsby Town or Crewe. On the flip side its also the reason that the Monocultural clubs who dominated the NSL in Australia could never sustain "The connect" once the immigrants who created these clubs, no longer graced the terraces. Their offspring born here just didn't have "The connect". Its also the secret in sustaining the A-League. Much talk nowadays is about Metrics, well every other metric mentioned depends entirely on the depth of "The connect" metric.
chris
Guest
Oh wow...hearing the name of that book brought back memories! I read it years ago and yes really fascinating read.
RBBAnonymous
Guest
I see no issue with it. Players, clubs and fans are all part of the football dichotomy, they are all open to praise and criticism. Why should fans be immune to criticism whether it's deserved or not, same as the players. I think that is the point Bellerin was making.
Buddy
Guest
The relationship between clubs and fans is quite fascinating on many fronts, most notably for how badly it is handled by some, how well by others and the struggle for balance in an industry that has seen evolution and revolution on a grand scale over the past 50 years. On one level there is a company with owners and shareholders that is required to make a profit just the same as in any other industry. What is it selling? Entertainment. It charges what the club considers to be a fair price for a ticket that offers 90 minutes of entertainment. The club is taking discretionary spending from a customer that could have been spent on the cinema, another sport, pay tv or maybe just alcohol or cigarettes. Does the club care who spends the money? Bottom line is that it requires a minimum number of seats filled to cover the costs of running the stadium and paying staff etc. On another level, the club is seeking repeat business, fan loyalty, long term investments (season tickets) and is also looking for visible support - something that is known to help the players extend themselves, play better football and win matches. Striking the balance is the challenge. From a fan’s perspective, the relationship is just as complex. There are fans that attend regularly who understand that it is just a form of entertainment and if it doesn’t entertain, then they stop attending. There is no requirement for any relationship with the club. Then there are the fans that want to be part of what the club is about -,”the nailed on fans” they believe they pay money not necessarily to be entertained by a product but to be allowed to attend and have a relationship with the club and specifically, the players that represent the club. They sing, chant, wave banners and try and make the types of sounds and atmosphere that really helps the players reach great heights, enhanced performance. In return, they want acknowledgment, waving, hand shakes, ritualistic ceremonies post game and similar. With the advent of social media, there is also a desire for engagement at a very different level too and that one is just as complex. From a player’s perspective, it is likely to be quite a different approach. After all, a professional footballer is someone who has the talent, who has practised the 10000 hours and been fortunate enough to be able to play a game as a job, but it is a job. The player plays football to earn money to do exactly the same things as a banker, a truck driver, a labourer or waitress. As a bonus in their work, the player might receive adulation and admiration that takes a number of forms and different players deal with the attention in different ways. As fans we are often surprised when we learn that players don’t know much about the game as a whole, what the scores were in other games and who says what about who. The fact is they play football for a living and nothing more. This subject matter is quite fascinating on many fronts and reminds me to pull out and re-read Desmond Morris “The Soccer Tribe” . The subject would make for a fascinating conference ocer a few days if you could get the right cross section and mix of attendees...... could be more interesting and entertaining than going along to watch a game!
chris
Guest
Alex its not so much a disconnect between player and fans, its more a disconnect between players and the clubs they play for. Talk to someone like Maldini who spent his entire career at Milan and he is very well connected with the fans. Players are commodities bought and sold like equities on the stock market. They don't have the connection to a club like they did say 20-30 years go.