San Lorenzo’s new president – Marcelo Moretti – takes office and declares: “We need more than $30 million to stay afloat.” He condemns the emptying of the club and specifically accuses Matías Lammens and Marcelo Tinelli, the last two elected presidents: “They didn’t even leave the computer behind. We knew there were debts, that San Lorenzo was in dire straits, but what we found was worse than we thought. Today we have inhibitions, embargoes, unpaid bonuses, several months’ delay in salaries for employees and three months of non-payment to the professional team and professional staff.”

He then brings up a very long list of disturbing questions: Where did the money go from all the transfer players? How were loans raised in dollars at 12% per year…? “Millions of dollars in loans were requested, and it is not known why they did it. The club was sold for millions of dollars, nothing was built and the team did not become champions in recent years. We owe it to everyone. The question is where the money is, that’s why we will do an audit,” condemned Moretti, a 47-year-old lawyer and businessman who fulfilled every fan’s dream: to be the president of his club. But he sat down on the couch and his nightmare began.

The news did not cause surprise. Most clubs are in a very compromised economic and financial situation. A few months ago, a public fund was raised to help Independiente pay off the debt to América de México that overwhelmed them and threatened their continuity in the First League. A little more than 3 million dollars was raised, Rojo paid and was unrestrained. And it got better. It is a huge club, with a large stadium, several halls, 115,000 members and five million fans.

This is not the case only in Argentina. In Uruguay, Peñarol and Nacional have not won an international title for 37 and 36 years, respectively, because the treasury does not allow them to field competitive teams. They live off selling players. In Bolivia, the traditional club San José de Oruro has disappeared, and another giant is on the precipice: Jorge Wilstermann. In Peru, Alianza Lima and Universitario have been intervening by the state for years due to debts. In Ecuador, Barcelona has been carrying huge debts for years. And in Europe, despite the glamor and the astronomical figures that are presented, they also have very serious problems. FC Barcelona faces a liability that far exceeds one billion euros, not counting “leverage”, a resource that has given it cash oxygen consisting of the sale of part of the television rights, Barça Studios and other assets in the future. Inter Milan also suffers from a debt of around 800 million, but that is private, it can be sold to another investor who clears the liabilities and starts from scratch again. On the other hand, Barça is a social club.

Soccer has become a monumental source of business worth hundreds of billions of dollars, an industry comparable to oil, finance, food, tourism, clothing and others, but only a few are doing well: soccer players, coaches and national team members. Also to hierarchs, heads of FIFA, confederations and alliances. They charge high salaries. Gianni Infantino receives a base salary of $1,950,000 per year plus a variable salary of $1,000,030 and an allowance of $24,000 per month. This was announced on the official FIFA website. And they must bring the hammer down on sidereal contracts. From there on, everyone does well in the decision-making pyramid. Even presidents of the associations of Burundi, Yemen or Malta. Regardless of the level of their teams or football, they are successful.

However, the big beneficiaries of the activity are football players. There are some in Bolivia that charge $60,000 a month. Stupidity for a medium. And none of them are stars. There are them in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, with incomes of 25,000, 30,000. Normal elements, not even selection. And the player never loses, he is always paid, otherwise FIFA intimates the club, can take away his points, demote him and even exclude him. Technicians do the same. According to the Chilean media, Ricardo Gareca would ask for $2,800,000 to direct La Roja. And in Peru he earned more: 3.7 million per year. They are football’s new rich, although not that new. Cholo Simeone gets €32m every 12 months for re-founding Atlético de Madrid.

National team players (who do not play) are as lucky or luckier than those who go on the field. Those with highly sought-after clients charge a premium for deciding where the player will go. Example: Fayza Lamari, Mbappé’s mother, could demand (or surely will) a bonus of 100 million to say whether he will go to Real Madrid, Liverpool or stay at PSG. It is above the 10% commission that is usual for an agent. FC Barcelona wanted a great scorer for their new project after Messi. Pini Zahavi, one of the white sharks of the market, told the Catalans: Do you want Lewandowski…? “Of course, but he has a contract with Bayern and they won’t let him go…” I repeat: Do you want Lewandowski…? I’ll bring it to you, but it’s 40 million euros for us. “Then go ahead.” Zahavi got the Pole a fantastic contract in Catalonia with the slogan: “You push everything, say you’re going, I’ll do the rest.” And with all the trouble and opposition of the German club, he took him to Spain. Because he is as old as air: a player who wants to leave, you have to open the door for him. Zahavi, who earlier charged to take him to Bayern, later charged to take him.

This phenomenal work for a small number of actors shows that the clubs, the most important link, on which all the weight of the football organization falls, are alone and helpless. The club builds a stadium, a training center, hires players, coaches, doctors, sets up smaller departments, takes care of clothing, transportation, ticket sales, security, provides fans… The one who arranges everything from tents to clowns. is a ham sandwich squeezed on one side by players, coaches and agents, on the other side by the federation, confederation and FIFA.

This reopens the debate about civic clubs or clubs of joint stock companies. In Europe, a large part of entities is owned by one or more owners. In South America, except for Chile and Colombia, they belong to their members, who pride themselves on being “a club, not a company.” But maybe this should be reconsidered. In the past few days, jokes have been made against the Sanlorencistas by their rivals: “It’s good that San Lorenzo belongs to the members…!” Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, has ruled that clubs that want to can become sports corporations, which has been rejected by almost 100% of fans across the country. But now opinions are beginning to change. The president of the club leaves a debt of 30 million dollars and quietly goes home to enjoy life. The owner is obliged to take care of the property of the club because it is his. These are two very opposite visions. Of course, you can be a successful civil society governed by intelligence and honesty. But who has seen honesty…? Where are you going…? (OR)