Propaganda in Football

[My Friend George]

After seeing the banner from the plane, I had vision of a possible dystopian football future.

With the multi millions that are involved in today’s game, where clubs are becoming multi-national co-corporations – would it not be conceivable that top clubs will develop a secret arm of their business? A branch of the PR department that will actually identify areas in which to antagonise rivals. With so much money at stake, surely one would benefit from upsetting the apple cart when other teams are vulnerable, or indeed try to create divisions (divide and conquer).

Of course, I’m not suggesting Saturday was this at all. And I’m proposing more of a sustained, multi pronged attack model.

When you consider how star players can be unsettled by transfer speculation – and when managers i.e. Mourinio play the media very well, it seems that propaganda already serves a part in today’s elite leagues.

My question is just how far could this potentially go?

Anyway, gotta go. Need to wrap my head in tin foil – they’re trying to get in.

 

[SingBlue]

I think you're on to something. The possibilities are limitless... I mean, clubs could put journalists on the payroll and feed them information about players they are interested in, with "sources close to the player saying..." etc... in an attempt to unsettle them?

(By the way that has been going on for decades - just the sums are inevitably bigger).

The only way I'd believe it was happening is if a banner was tailed over Goodison staying "Bill is Great. New Virtually-Free Stadium Coming Soon. #BoysPen" then I'd know it was a bunch of kopites behind it.

 

[cduff]

Well tactics like this are not unknown in business and politics. Given that top clubs are owned by top business people and some have political connections then it could be entirely possible.

 

[chicoazul]

After seeing the banner from the plane, I had vision of a possible dystopian football future.

With the multi millions that are involved in today’s game, where clubs are becoming multi-national co-corporations – would it not be conceivable that top clubs will develop a secret arm of their business? A branch of the PR department that will actually identify areas in which to antagonise rivals. With so much money at stake, surely one would benefit from upsetting the apple cart when other teams are vulnerable, or indeed try to create divisions (divide and conquer).

Of course, I’m not suggesting Saturday was this at all. And I’m proposing more of a sustained, multi pronged attack model.

When you consider how star players can be unsettled by transfer speculation – and when managers i.e. Mourinio play the media very well, it seems that propaganda already serves a part in today’s elite leagues.

My question is just how far could this potentially go?

Anyway, gotta go. Need to wrap my head in tin foil – they’re trying to get in.

Some comedown on you that lad. What were you on last night?

 

[My Friend George]

Some comedown on you that lad. What were you on last night?

Ha ha. No comedown. Delighted with the performance, tactics employed by Roberto and Kone showing he has got something.

But, need to put my VPN on, they're on to me.

 

[davek]

I think the way forward is to have small drones flying above players' heads as they run about the pitch telling them they're lazy, injury prone and used to play for Wigan and should go back there.