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This stuff about Bartomeu unilaterally stopping Suarez's move to Atletico Madrid... Much Player Power! Very Club de los Amigos for you!
Player power is a myth that clubs encourage fans to believe (using tools like a non-critical press) b/c it benefits the club.
Player power is a myth that clubs encourage fans to believe (using tools like a non-critical press) b/c it benefits the club.
Being an amorphous idea helps; from various conversations, fans do not even agree on who is in this exclusive Club de los Amigos. It's a convenient bin to shove in any player perceived to have some unfair advantage, removing responsibility from managers & especially the board.
Player power is a way to delegitimize the tools a player has during labor negotiations, to turn the public against them & give clubs the upper hand. Every time there's a court ruling in favor of players, you'll see clubs (& sympathetic press) flipping out about player power.
Players like Suarez have every right to demand that the club fulfill contracts (e.g. termination fees). But the club wants to delegitimize this, & EVERY fan getting mad at Suarez helps them. Next time, it might be a player you like; club will use the same attacks you approved.
So if you're wondering why the likes of Bartomeu can cling to power for so long, it's because too many fans make it easy for him. He just needs to stay out of the way, blame key players, & all the energy is expended on raging over how the locker room is the problem.
And special mention of fans who defend Messi by blaming every other player (not the same as celebrating Messi). These fans are a huge part of the problem. They haven't focused the anger toward institutional failings; they've just helped boost the club's distraction tactics.
"Messi GOAT" on official social media & "Messidependencia/Messi dictator" thru club-controlled local press are 2 sides of the same coin. By simplistically & indiscriminately invalidating the contributions of other players (past & present), you build Bartomeu's case for him.
This Messi narrative also helps justify targeting or getting rid of players aligned w/ Cruyff's philosophy. Who needs a style when Messi's the only reason for Barça success? That's why nuñists market Messi like a Galactico even though he's La Masia. Stop enabling them.
