Real Madrid need to lose their arrogance
For a club of Real Madrid’s standing, their behavior in the media is shameful.
How does one of the top clubs in the world behave? By berating its fans and players in public? By showing a distinct lack of class when players refuse their terms? By trying to poach players from other clubs by throwing money at their agents and playing the media?
People often say that the players on Real Madrid’s roster need to change their attitude. But they’re wrong, or at the very least, they’re not focusing on the core problem.
It’s not the players, it’s the club management and the people who are behind the scenes pulling strings.
There is a culture of arrogance and high-handedness in Real Madrid. The players are only as good as the club they’re in, so blaming their attitude is an easy way out of a tougher problem.
Thing is, Calderon and Mijatovic aren’t the right people to ‘cure’ Madrid. So expect Madrid to be like this for some time yet.
Ahhh Ahmed…
A bit unfair don’t you think?
Although about halfway through the article you recognize that it is the current administration that has been acting poorly, but the very first line is a general accusation against the club.
Let’s not forget that Calderón won the elections with about 25% of the 50% of club members who actually voted at the stadium last July. Which translates to roughly 12-13% of club members’ support. He was only able to do this because of a dodgy legal injunction which stopped mailed votes from being counted, because according to him the system used to collect them - a system he personally approved, twice, while a director under Florentino Perez, mind you - was improper.
On January 29th a judge will make a final ruling on the matter of the mailed votes and it seems more than likely that at the very least Calderón will be forced to convoke elections in the near future, possibly this summer.
There is not a “culture of arrogance” in Real Madrid. For a club and fans used to seeing the very best in football play for them on a weekly basis and whose success is unparalleled, gestures such as the ovations given to Eto’o (when playing with Mallorca), Ronaldinho last year, Woodgate on his club debut, and other examples, demonstrate the class the fans have. We’ve never had generalized fan violence, opposing players hit with missiles or games stopped because of crowd disturbances, nor have we had problems with racism, despite being by far the biggest target of the media in Spain, perhaps Europe.
On a further note this club has been fielding players of color long before most in English football even knew they existed; we were fielding black English footballers long before virtually any other club in England was.
What has to be remembered is that there exists a big difference between the vast majority of Real Madrid supporters and the people who become or even are able to become President. In order to run for presidency, you need to be a club member - already difficult enough - with the support of other “socios compromisarios” and in addition to this, be able to present a bank guarantee worth 10% of the club’s annual turnover. When the club’s annual turnover is superior to €300m this severely limits the number of people who can even run for President. And given the nature of the position, the people who do this tend to have ulterior motives. Who heard of Ramon Calderon or Florentino Perez before they were President? Now, they are practically household names among football fans. There is a lot more at stake than just running a football club.
While it has its flaws however I would not change this system for any other, we’re one of a very few -clubs- in the world that is truly a club, in the same sense of the word as it was used when it was founded over 100 years ago. The fact that the club still is owned and operated by members, and has at the same time become the most successful club in football history, speaks volumes about the quality of this system as well as some of the men, such as Santiago Bernabeu, who have made us what we are.
But that’s the issue, sometimes you get Bernabeus, (or Florentino Perez who in the first 3 years of his presidency was excellent) and sometimes you get Calderons. But don’t attack the club as a whole because of its current, in my opinion provisional, administration.
The thing is that Calderon was right about Beckham, Beckham was still negotiating with Real Madrid after already having signed a contract with Galaxy, only when Real Madrid gave him a deadline did he announce the deal.
He even asked for time to “think about it” until march! Think about what? The man already signed a contract with another club so he was therefor misleading Real Madrid and i can perfectly see why they would be upset.
But what kind of class would you want? Kicking a boot in players faces? Yes i’m sure Calderon should done that