Op-Ed \ Andrew Rogers

Prejudice, politics in England distort players' economic reality.

LONDON (Monday, May 29, 2006) -- The Independent Review of Sport was released this week. The main talking point of its findings was that a salary cap should be introduced in English soccer. The report on the whole, while sensible, is deeply colored-by-politics, self-serving doctrines and misguided assumptions about the realties of professional football.

The report was commissioned by United Kindom sports minister Richard Caborn during Britain's presidency of the European Union last year, having been lobbied by UEFA, Europe's governing football body. I'm sure Caborn has done an incredible amount of good for sport, his community and the country, but his actions in this situation are frustrating.

His party's power is ailing and UEFA will surely take heed of his actions a little further along the line. However, does he really need to be involving himself in arriving at such conclusions? The UK is the most obese nation in Europe, the value of soccer to alleviate this is huge. Girls and boys can play -- one only need a ball and one can participate whether he or she is 15 or 50. Should one not be pointing both barrels at the nation's lack of fitness?

Of course not. It would appear Caborn would rather take on a tiny section of the football spectrum that is poorly defined and not really understood. The credibility of the commission is further stretched when he explained his motives: "I wanted this review because we need to strengthen the government of football, at the Football Association and with the Burns report."

Now I would be happy to chew over the fat of the governance of UK soccer with the Right Honorable Mr. Caborn, but lets get a few things straight. Firstly, the FA created the laws, one of humanity's most unifying social constructs. In the modern day, they have produced global icon David Beckham and, aside from the world class facilities it presides over, a certain Wayne Rooney didn't just appear from nowhere.

This somewhat slightly one-sided argument turns into an all out drubbing, where the center defender gets on the score sheet with a bicycle kick, when one looks at the government he represents' recent track record for governance.

The party is covered in more sleaze than a Jackie Collins novel and recently released from the country's prisons into society hundreds of the most vicious and psychotic criminals when it appears they should have been deported to their respective countries. I don't think football needs to be taking advice off such administrators although credit must always been given where it is due.

The timing of the report's release was exquisite, just after the domestic season and before the greatest spectacle on the planet. It reminded me of a Paul Scholes midfield run into the box during his pomp. Vote Caborn tough on Superstar footballers and the causes of them.

The political notion on which Caborn appears to have hung his hat, on closer inspection does not in most cases appear to exist. Firstly, the salaries of footballers are governed by what the market will bear. The owners of the club assess the players' value in relation to the players market and analyze the return they can make on their investment in attendance, sponsorship and competitiveness.

The skill being courted is truly unique and, as a commodity being traded, is distinctly definable unlike many vocations. It is truly special given the talents' ability to implement itself under the most unreal pressure. On what basis does the government feel entitled to question how the sport runs itself?

In the corporate world, many chief executive officers and chairmen are making annual salaries that could buy them a couple of Premier League football clubs a year. A footballer's salary would not cover the cost of the fuel bill on their corporate aircraft. Reports are not commissioned on their wages or largesse.

Unfortunately, it probably has more to do with the fact that Caborn feels more comfortable taking on 20-year-olds who've hit the big time and don't have the savvy to defend themselves, rather than industrial heavyweights with an army of public relations consultants, lawyers and funds for political donations.

Arguably, Caborn has picked an easy target for his political ambitions, but how prevalent is the multimillionaire in the game of association football. The reality is, they are rare. The average wage in the Premier League currently stands at $1,268,000 per annum. The length of a footballer career averages at eight years. After that, with little opportunity or confidence outside of his environment, the player finds it tough to make a living.

If the money they make in the game is averaged out over their entire working life (68 years-old), the amount of money they make in their working life as an athlete equates to most professional careers in industry. But this is only the top 400 players; outside of this, the average figures per annum for the second-tier League Championship and lower leagues are approximately $375,000, $131,000 and $94,000.

For these guys, life is not going to be so easy once their athletic careers are over. High divorce rates, a lack of vocational training and a horribly precarious world of club management mean life is not likely to be as rosy or privileged as Caborn implies.

The fact is the game is loved in part for the perceived lack of reality. Whether it is Ronaldinho dribbling through the best defenses or Winston Bogarde sitting out a $75,000-per-week contract in the Swiss mountains, its freedom and entertainment are utterly compelling. I can't imagine the entire planet tuning in this summer to watch Employee No. 201234, clock in, stare at a computer screen and clock out this summer.

As fans, we love the personalities, thrills, spills and drama, while conveniently forgetting the brutal pressure they face and intense scrutiny as they do many activities we take for granted. Watford manger Aidy Boothroyd is currently an innovator, irreplaceable and the messiah of North London. Should next season not run smoothly, he will face huge pressure from the fans, media and board and could lose his job while still having bills to pay.

Which leads to the question: Does Caborn really know what he is talking about? On the face of it, the answer is no because his argument is not coherent and he doesn't realize the fundamentals of the game or appreciate football's unique place in England's culture.

Much of his conjecture would just be ignored or blown over by typically tolerant and understanding soccer fans, but when it was recently unveiled that many of his party are sitting on multi-million-dollar pension pots of taxpayers' money, one realizes that of football's many ill-advised denouncers, the public-funded hypocrite should not necessarily be the most vocal.

Andrew Rogers, a regular contributor to the United Kingdom's League Paper and Non League Paper, lives in Sunbury on Thames in England. Formerly the director of communications for the Long Island (N.Y.) Rough Riders, he is a UEFA 'B" license coach and plays semi-professionally with Spelthorne FC.

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