Football and the power of money

This summer football fans carry more of a responsibility than just shouting at the telly, thinks Najiba Abdellaoui.

''It's the viewers and fans who are going to buy their teams’ replica shirts, including Brazil (Nike).'' France's strip, made by Adidas.

During the World Cup we don’t just play the role of a passive audience only able to comment from the sideline - we are also the ones who’ll spend millions on football merchandise. I think this money gives us both the power and the responsibility to spend ethically.

As a little girl I used to watch soccer a lot. I didn’t really have a choice - my whole family consists of soccer fanatics. It was not until I was old enough to realise how commercial and money driven football is that I started to look at it with a more critical eye. Much to my brothers’ annoyance, I began to criticise the unethical behaviour of the big soccer sponsors during important matches. I simply cannot enjoy a beautiful goal without thinking about the little hands that knitted the ball in the net, or the imperfect corporate behaviour of the company that sells perfection in all colours and sizes. The reaction I often get when I try to bring up these subjects during half-time or at the end of the match is, ‘Chill, that’s just the way it is.’ Or maybe, ‘It’s the responsibility of the companies to change something, to behave more ethically, not our responsibility as viewers.’ I beg to differ.

During the upcoming World Cup it’s the viewers and fans who are going to buy their teams’ replica shirts, including Brazil (Nike), France (Adidas) or Togo (Puma). Therefore it’s the fans who can take a stand and put their money where the most ethical company is, they are the ones with the power. However many of us simply don’t realise this because we only spend a fraction of the money that will eventually make up the company’s profit. Consequently we think we only hold a tiny fraction of the power.

Fortunately, the soccer business is not completely hard and heartless. A quick visit to the official FIFA World Cup website tells us that FIFA sponsors various meaningful initiatives. For instance, at the 2006 World Cup FIFA and UNICEF will roll out the campaign ‘Unite for Children. Unite for Peace’. According to the website the purpose of this official campaign is to ‘highlight that a peaceful future lies firmly in the hands of children, and football has the power to guide children’s healthy development. The emphasis will be on footballers as role models and football as one of the most powerful ways through which the world can receive messages of tolerance, non-violence and peace.’ This all sounds very good but I think that regardless of this we have to stay critical.

Back in the days when I was a big soccer fan, a wise man told me that life is like a soccer game - sometimes you score, sometimes you defend, sometimes you attack, sometimes you make a solo move and sometimes you rely on your team. I think that you should never underestimate the power of the audience, the so-called 12th team player. During the World Cup in Germany we’ll not only be the audience that comments, cheers and grumbles but also the audience that spends millions on football memorabilia. Our money holds a power over the companies we buy from and therefore I think that we have a responsibility to spend it wisely.