Out on the Left: Why do we need a socialist analysis of football?

In this first episode of the new, regular series of Pro Revolution Soccer, we – Tom and Juliet – ask ourselves why we still feel such attachment to football despite our disenchantment with the sport, its governance and finances under late capitalism. We look at how the influx of money has fed into a search for perfection in tactics and refereeing that, combined with FIFA and UEFA’s shameless greed and corruption, has made elite football increasingly joyless for fans and participants alike. Was Rodri – this year’s Ballon d’Or winner – right to suggest high-level players could go on strike against the number of games in the calendar, including FIFA’s new World Club Cup? Might we be able to organise top footballers to left-wing ends? How has the Professional Footballers’ Association, and attitudes of players, changed since George Eastham led the charge against the maximum wage in the early 1960s, when even international stars took summer jobs? Why was the Against Modern Football movement insufficient in mobilising people against the distortions and alienation caused by money, and especially by different forms of modern media? In the News section, we discuss the cancellation of Lorton Entertainment’s documentary on Wayne Rooney’s management of Plymouth Argyle after the Championship strugglers parted ways with him. We also reflect on the sad life of Russia’s Euro 2004 defender Aleksei Bugayev, whose alcoholism destroyed his career and led him into drug distribution, and his recent death after Putin offered prisoners an amnesty if they fought in Ukraine. We also start our segment on our own recent engagements with the sport by talking about Tom coaching youth football, and Juliet’s love of Christmas holiday matches, including Norwich City’s 2-1 win that inspired Tom to ask what Frank Lampard might be doing if he were not in charge of Frank Lampard’s Coventry City. Subscribe to the podcast via Patreon to get a monthly bonus episode for £3 a month, and follow us at @prorevsoccer.bsky.social on BlueSky for new episodes and updates.