William Gallas Does a WebChat

We tackled a similar issue last year regarding Ligue 1.

If interested:
http://lequipemoustache.blogspot.com/2007/02/ligue-1-why-rest-of-world-doesnt-care.html

Written by a dual citizen with the unique perspective of both cultures, so I’ll take his word for it, seeing as Gallas won’t explain.

@+,

L’Américain

L’Américain: I remember reading your post a while back. I agree that L1 needs more money and has to do a better job at marketing itself abroad. But I think the biggest obstacle, even beyond the revenue, is the taxes. And that is something that won’t change. It’s the reason why Monaco is the only French club which can attract stars, even if they’re has-beens. For example, if a club wants to pay 100 dollars to a player, an English club will pay 115, a Spanish club 130, an Italian club 150, and a French club 200.

Coupled that with the fact that French clubs aren’t allowed to operate in the red – the reason that Chelsea can afford to dole out millions in paychecks while still possessing a massive debt.

You can say that Lyon and Marseille could afford a big salary (well, maybe not that big), and even have the cash on hand, but those players don’t want to come. Reyes turned down the chance to be the star of L1 and be one of the club’s highest earners to sit on the bench of Atletico, which has no CL prospects whatsoever. So sometimes, even if French clubs have the money, L1 doesn’t have the allure to bring in players.

And even with revenue – L1 is at a considerably advantage because it’s in French. English clubs are the most marketable because in Asia, for example, almost everyone knows English. Only Real and Barca can compete in that sphere because they’ve been around forever, at least ever since televised soccer made its way to China and India. Even Serie A clubs like Juventus and Milan have limited fanbases outside of Italy and its expatriate population.

Anyway, to get back to Gallas, he doesn’t want to talk about why players leave France because it will make him sound like an ass, and he really doesn’t need anymore help in that department. He left because he wanted more money. End of story.

Oops, I meant to say, “L1 is at a considerably disadvantage because it’s in French.”

Wondering how much it would cost the teams to do simultaneous broadcasts in English like they do for Euro qualifiers. Exhorbitant?

I was talking about this webchat with fellow gooners last week. It surprised me, my opinion on Gallas improved greatly. Gallas has annoyed a lot of gooners because of his attitude and comments since joining ARsenal but this webchat showed a terrific side to him, humanized him a bit. Plus his recent performances have been very good.

Sandra, I agree! I found the webchat fascinating, mostly because he came across as human and not egotistical. I expected more ego, and instead I got a guy who loves his wife and kids and wishes he’d worked harder when he was younger.

Just back on the subject of Ligue 1, in some ways I think L1’s relatively low profile has been a blessing in diguise where the national team is concerned.

If you look at the two most successful and well-known leagues: EPL and La Liga, neither England or Spain have won or been close to winning a major international championship for a long time. Their high profile puts a lot of pressure on the clubs to win all the time and because they have means, they usually just buy the necessary players.

In contrast because the Ligue 1 clubs have relatively less money, they are forced to spend time developing local talent, which gives the French NT a lot of talent to choose from. The only exception is probably Italy, which has had a successful league and been able to win major championships/get to finals.

Rach, that’s an interesting point. That thought has been in the back of my mind as I watch other leagues. I also write an LA Galaxy blog, so the England NT is in the forefront of my mind, as is the nascent US youth development system. I do think France nurtures homegrown talent better than most countries, and their relatively liberal immigration policies help the NT as well.

Now if they can just figure out how to keep the players in French clubs.

France started their youth programs in the early seventies, and it began kicking in the early nineties, with even relegation clubs churning out future superstars. It’s true that the dearth of money forced France to make their own talent.

But I don’t know if one can blame the clubs putting on pressure though, because Barcelona has a great youth program, so somehow they found the balance. England aside, I think La Liga and Serie A do have good youth programs, it’s just that you rarely see kids play for the top teams because it’s unreasonable to expect a 17 year old to match the standards of a club like Chelsea. But I think in the next 15 years, we’ll see the other countries catch up. The Bundesliga is just now starting reap the rewards of patient development programs.

What frightens me is that France is the only major European country whose starting XI can be fielded by players overseas (assuming Landreau ever gets dropped for Frey). No other country – Portugal, Germany, Italy, England, Spain, Netherlands – can say the same.

Frey
Sagna – Gallas – Thuram – Abidal
Ribery – Makelele – Vieira – Malouda
Henry – Anelka

France is the new Brazil.

The only position that I think L1 will always have the advantage is in gk. I seriously believe that France has the best gk depth in the big 5, with even relegation clubs possessing gks that would be consider top class in other countries.

Oops, I meant Sagnol, but Sagna works too.