1 week ago
It has been a bad week for Michele Kang, nan billionaire women’s shot investor. On Wednesday nan Uefa head of women’s football, Nadine Kessler, was patient connected nan enforcement of rules prohibiting clubs pinch nan aforesaid proprietor from playing each different successful European competitions, dealing a rustle to Kang, who has ambitions of taking London City Lionesses into Europe’s premier competition, but besides owns nan tournament’s astir dressed up side, OL Lyonnes.
Then, crossed nan weekend, Kang teams suffered 2 continental last defeats, pinch Lyonnes losing 4-0 to Barcelona successful nan Champions League last earlier her US outfit, Washington Spirit, fell short successful nan Concacaf W Champions Cup pinch a 5-3 reverse to nan Mexican broadside Club América.
Speaking to nan Catalan TV transmission Esport3 successful Oslo connected Saturday evening, nan Barcelona goalkeeper Cata Coll made immoderate pointed remarks astir money successful shot aft their emphatic victory, and her words went viral. “There has been disapproval but we person shown nan squad we are,” she said. “Money isn’t everything. We are privileged to person La Masia and each nan girls that person travel up to nan first team: Aïcha Cámara, Carla [Julià Martínez], [Martine] Fenger, [Clara] Serrajordi, each of them. They are incredible. It says everything and that’s why I opportunity it.”
Many person assumed it was a jab astatine Kang and nan usage of her wealthiness to prosecute glory successful women’s football, pinch Barcelona’s talent pipeline apparently delivering an antidote to specified an approach. There person been frustrations that Kang’s teams person been sniffing astatine Barcelona’s doorway successful caller years, poaching nan caput coach Jonatan Giráldez, who led Barça to their 2nd and 3rd European titles, first planting him successful station astatine Washington Spirit earlier switching him this play to Lyonnes, different of her Kynisca Sports International multi-club ownership group.
Giráldez isn’t nan only Barcelona worker to person been recruited by nan big-spending Kang. The midfielder Ingrid Engen joined Lyonnes past summertime and nan defender Jana Fernández was acquired by London City from nan Catalan club. Meanwhile, talk of imaginable rogue bids for Aitana Bonmatí person circulated successful past seasons, while London City are believed to person made Alexia Putellas, soon to beryllium out-of-contract, a ample connection to play successful nan WSL.
However, while nan perpetually emerging talent from La Masia is some laudable and enviable, Barcelona are not a exemplary women’s shot club, aliases a salve to nan exemplary being championed by Kang.
Kang is 1 of galore to person exploited nan strict financial rules of La Liga, pinch nan money problem knowledgeable by nan men’s broadside precocious affecting each conception of nan club, from nan women’s squad to nan younker academy and basketball, handball and futsal teams. To little nan costs bill, players person been allowed to time off that whitethorn person been kept nether different circumstances.
The squad that person powered Barça to 4 European titles contains respective cardinal players astatine nan extremity of their contracts. Alongside Putellas, nan quartet of Mapi León, Marta Torrejón, Salma Paralluelo and Caroline Graham Hansen are nearing nan extremity of their deals. At immoderate shape Barça will request to acquisition their adjacent evolution, but to what grade that is done connected their terms, aliases forced by financial pressure, remains to beryllium seen.
Saturday’s Champions League last was my eighth successful 9 years – nan Covid-19 pandemic prevented maine from attending the 2020 final betwixt Lyon (now Lyonnes) and Wolfsburg successful San Sebastián. The crippled has travel a agelong measurement since my first, in Kyiv successful 2018, erstwhile nan big metropolis was nan aforesaid arsenic nan 1 for nan men’s Champions League last and nan women’s last cowered successful its shadow.
In Oslo nan immense numbers pouring into Uefa’s instrumentality park, that featured a statement of mini-pitches wherever girls’ teams played each day, reflected nan effect nan last tin now person connected a city.
Women’s shot has besides changed a lot, but successful immoderate ways it is very similar. In 2018 Lyon lifted their 5th of what has go 8 European titles, nan efforts of nan erstwhile nine owner, men’s and women’s, Jean-Michel Aulas, many times delivering for nan French team. Aulas committed much resources to nan women’s squad than astir different European clubs and Kang is now doing nan aforesaid benignant of thing, but much aggressively, successful a world wherever galore of nan apical women’s clubs are expanding investment.
Clubs are seemingly irritated pinch Kang’s spending because to entice superstars to fledgling projects she is offering fees and wages that are distorting nan market, driving it beyond what galore position arsenic sustainable growth.
Except, fixed nan opportunity, each nine would astir apt do it. Yes, immense men’s clubs could do nan same, fixed nan ample sums astatine their disposal, but often take not to successful nan sanction of sustainability and gradual growth. That feels for illustration an excuse for underinvestment erstwhile astir clubs do not return arsenic cautious an attack pinch their men’s teams, pinch astir operating astatine a loss.
The problem is, location is nary replacement exemplary put guardant by immoderate of nan biggest clubs. Each 1 walks nan aforesaid path, successful somewhat different ways, possibly getting irritated astatine really others person gone nan aforesaid route. Most men’s Premier League clubs do not want an replacement backing exemplary – because it mightiness show fans location is different measurement of doing things. As it stands, those owners tin return money retired of clubs to boost their individual wealth.
So, yes, Coll is right, but behaving for illustration Barcelona are nan morally superior nine is misleading.
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