WHEN CONMEBOL agreed to move the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final, South America’s
equivalent of the UEFA Champions League, to Madrid, they not only solved an immediate
logistical problem, they also have opened a door that could prove difficult to close.
By taking the final, a high-octane fixture between Buenos Aires’ rivals, River Plate
and Boca Juniors, to one of the capitals of European football, they were also raising
the profile of the competition. The game, which had been repeatedly postponed because
of civil disturbance, probably benefitted from the negative publicity, even if Argentinian
football was tainted by its inability to stage what many people were calling “the final
to end all finals”. There’s no doubt the Copa Libertadores has the potential to become
a global event that could enhance the image of South American club football and deliver
multiple commercial and sporting opportunities.
The competition, established in 1960, has had a chequered history, but is among the
world’s top footballing events. Yet outside South America, the Libertadores is still relatively
under-exposed, despite the fact Latin Americans are resident all over the world. For example,
there are almost 200,000 Latin Americans in the UK, 275,000 Brazilians in Japan and 250,000
Argentinians in Spain.
The importance of Latin America’s contribution to world football is unequivocal. Since 2005-06,
every UEFA Champions League winning team has had at least one South American in their line-up
and that list is impressive: Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Roberto
Firmino (Liverpool), David Luiz (Chelsea), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Diego
Milito (Inter), Dante (Bayern Munich) and Kaká (AC Milan).
Argentinian and Brazilian players are among the most nomadic in world football. According
to CIES Football Observatory, there are around 1,300 Brazilians playing in top level football
across major football leagues and 820 Argentinians. Footballers from South America have always
been attracted abroad, predominantly for financial reasons but also to expand their horizon and
opportunities. Brazil is a country with huge levels of poverty and an average monthly wage
of US$ 678. Argentina is even lower at US$ 554.
Global Sports Salaries claims that the average first teamer’s annual wage in Brazil is
US$ 670,000 while in Argentina it is US$ 379,000.
Clubs have to sell their best players in order to generate cash. But players in Brazil are
leaving their home country earlier than ever before. Neymar was 21 when he left Santos
for Barcelona in 2013, but Vinicius was just 18 when he joined Real Madrid from Flamengo
in 2018.
Why do they leave earlier?
Firstly, clubs in Europe have very advanced youth structures within which young players
can be nurtured. Economics demands that Brazilian and Argentinian clubs realise the value of
their assets at the earliest opportunity and all the top young players have agents and
release clauses that leave very little bargaining power. Players
from Latin America are keen to secure a move to football clubs in England, Portugal, Spain
and France, among others.
With globalisation making the world a smaller place and the ubiquitous presence of South
American players among the top football leagues, the Copa Libertadores could demonstrate the
global effect works in both directions.
What better time to export the Libertadores and secure its elevation to a major worldwide
audience?
Football cities in Latin America are among the most fanatical in the world. As the 2018
Libertadores final showed, Buenos Aires is a fermenting hotbed of football. It has 36
stadiums with a capacity of 10,000-plus, more than any other city in the world.
The final showed that, unfortunately, occasionally things get out of hand, but a researcher at
San Martin University, Diego Murzi, said that “in Argentina, there is a football culture
in which violence is legitimate, and not just by the ‘barras’ but by everyone who attends.”
The popular image of Latin football fans, nevertheless, is of Samba-dancing, drum-bashing,
happy-go-lucky characters urging their team to play beautiful football, notably the Brazilians
and their devotion to “jogo bonita”.
There is no doubt that hosting the final in Madrid reminded people that world football
is not just about the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup. Coincidentally, in the
summer of 2019, just a few months after River Plate beat their rivals Boca Juniors 3-1 in
the Bernabéu Stadium, a string of players from Europe decided to move to clubs in Argentina
and Brazil.
These included very established and popular players such as Dani Alves, Rafinha, Daniele
De Rossi, JuanFran and Filipe Luis. Admittedly, all are at the veteran stage of their careers,
but it was unusual for such a glut of big names to make the journey back to South America.
Questions were asked about finance and how the clubs could afford players who earned
big money in Europe. Alves, for example, is reputed to be earning the equivalent of € 700,000
per month. Was this move a premeditated one, with players eyeing an opportunity to raise
the image of South American football and, after the 2018 Copa Libertadores final, to
be part of a positive growth cycle?
Flamengo, one of Brazil’s richest and most popular clubs, made an audacious bid to sign
Mario Balotelli, but they could not agree terms. Nevertheless, this story demonstrated
something is happening that could change the status quo.
The gap between Europe and South America is something that has widened in recent years
as the financial clout of Europe’s elite has left clubs in Brazil and Argentina behind.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, whenever Europe’s champions met the Copa Libertadores winners,
the South Americans were invariably either too tough or skilled for the European Cup
winners. Some of the games were brutal, such as Celtic’s
clash with Racing Club and Manchester United’s heated meeting with Estudiantes.
Since 2000 and the establishment of the FIFA Club World Cup, the multi-speed nature of
world football has been highlighted by a lack of competitiveness. Only four times has the
CONMEBOL representative won the competition, the last being Corinthians in 2012.
At the same time, South America has also under-performed in the FIFA World Cup, with the last four
tournaments being won by European countries. In fact, the last eight finalists have included
just one South American team – Argentina in 2014.
Given that South America is a collection of countries whose economies are still regarded
as emerging markets, if the clubs want to become more competitive on the global stage,
they may have to look to more developed economies for revenues. In other words, adopt the “global
franchise” approach typified by Europe’s top clubs.
There are some very big clubs in Brazil and Argentina, with strong support bases and intense
fans. This season’s Copa Libertadores saw three of 2018’s four semi-finalists reach
the penultimate stage of the competition, including a repeat of the final – Boca Junior
versus River Plate. One Argentinian side is guaranteed to make it through to the 2019
final and they will meet a Brazilian team as Grêmio,
semi-finalists last year, are playing Flamengo in the other last four tie.
This year’s final will be a single game, as opposed to the traditional two-legged affair.
It will be hosted in Santiago, Chile. The move to a conventional one-off final does
provide the opportunity for rich drama thatcan captivate an international audience.
We could see a very different approach to the final this year, with more interest from
outside South America. The benefits would be manifold – revenues for the region, TV
income, enhancement of club global reach and a shop window for players. Not only that,
the Copa is one of the biggest club competitions in the world, so let’s see it reach out
to a global audience. It’s time for the world to become more acquainted with South
America’s top clubs.