Calcio Debate: If Kaka Moves To Manchester City, Football Is Dead

Kaka seems almost certain to leave Milan for Manchester City. Carlo Garganese believes that if the transfer goes through, it will represent the death of football…

AC Milan are the most internationally successful club in world football, with a prestige, history, class, and honour that most other teams can only dream of. Seventeen Scudetti, seven Champions League titles, three Intercontinental Cups, a never-ending list of past and current legends, including Rivera, Altafini, Baresi, Maldini, Van Basten, Ronaldinho - you could spend all day talking about the magnificent Milan.

Compare the Rossoneri to Manchester City. Two English league titles (in 1937 and 1968), and one European Cup Winners Cup in 1970, and that is pretty much the club’s history. The Citizens have not won a major honour for 40 years, nor have they even challenged, even dropping down to the third tier a decade ago, while their past greats such as Colin Bell and Francis Lee, despite being superb players, are hardly household continental names.

Milan are currently third in Serie A, with a realistic chance of fighting for the Scudetto. The most dominant club in the Champions League this decade, the Rossoneri are almost certain to return to Europe’s premier cup competition next season, and fight to win it. Meanwhile, Manchester City are floundering down in 15th place in the Premier League, just two points above the relegation zone. There is no hope of making the Champions League next season, while their only realistic chance of qualifying for Europe at all, will be to win the UEFA Cup this season.

Milan is one of the most revered cities in Europe, a capital of design and fashion, with culture, art, nightlife, and much, much more. Manchester, meanwhile, located far, far away from the centre of Europe, boasts nothing of cultural note, and hardly catches the eye like Milan, or even London, does.

So how could it be possible then that one of the world’s greatest footballers could move from the prestigious Milan to the plastic Manchester City?

The simple answer is: money.

The English Premier League, with its billionaire foreign owners, propaganda marketing, and obscene television deals, has already done enough to destroy the splendour and tradition of the beautiful game, and if this Kaka deal passes through, it will be the death of football.

This time, there may be no return.

Some of the financial figures being banded around are quite horrific. Kaka will earn €15m a year after tax, while Milan will reportedly receive a transfer fee in excess of €112 million. What has the world come to?

I must point out before I get floods of complaints from Premier League apologists that I have no grudge against English football. This is purely a moral stance against the direction the Premier League has taken over the past four or five years, specifically since Roman Abramovich entered onto these shores, and helped turn football into a circus.

With the world financial crisis, there was some hope in my mind that football, and the Premier League in particular, may take a step backwards and begin to regain some of its purity and soul, but the imminent Kaka deal emphatically suggests otherwise.

Milan should not escape criticism though. They have been tempted by the devil and, like Eve, they could not resist the juicy-looking apple. The second symbol of Milan, after Paolo Maldini, has been sacrificed for a pot of dirty money. What will the Milan fans at San Siro do tonight to protest? It should make interesting viewing.

Michel Platini is the President of UEFA, and he needs to immediately lay down laws to prevent rich owners from spending what their clubs, as businesses, do not make. Whether this will be possible remains to be seen, and it probably is already too late.

The day the transfer of Kaka to Manchester City goes through will be marked down in history as the day football died.

Even if this deal does go through surely a limit for each transfer window needs to be set to prevent rich owners from making such offers and clubs operating with huge debts on their back.

Ahh..but that won't happen mere dost. It's Italy remember? And a cash strapped Roma won't sell, why would Milan.

Galliani's interview is all truth though.

Yes it's all logical. Yes it's all good....but damn this sucks. Why did the Americans have to start this financial crisis??!!!

Right now, I think Africa is the only place not affected by the crisis.


But damn it Galliani, this recession will pass in 3 years. Everyone is saying that. Will you have kaka back in 3 years? And in what condition??!! Sheva was gone 2 years, that's it!!

Oh the bright side...at least Milan can claim they're self sufficient. But at what cost??!! When Galliani said 2 years ago, we want to be like Arsenal, this was not what I expected!!

I suppose I must be grateful that he's being honest about things and not saying some cr@p about how selling Kaka is actually the best thing that could ever happen. He's admitted he's going to catch hell, and that the fans are justified.

For a second I was fearful, he'd come out saying how we must be grateful for all that's been achieved.

So in a nutshell...Silvio has cut bait and told Galliani to go fish. He's said, he'll no longer bankroll Milan.

Fine! But this plan of action should have been set years ago, with a target year. Not like this!

*AAAAAAAAAArgh!!* My brain is doing flip flops...I'm typing nonsense! I'm getting off football for some time.

Oh...and this new article I read from Don Silvio, seems to suggest that Milan are accepting the bid for different reasons:

Namely the terms offered by Man City are way way above anything Milan can offer to Kaka. And seeing as how Kaka's career can't last forever, and he'll never earn this kind of money ever again (certainly not in 2012 when his contract expires), the club feel it's only fair that they allow Kaka's agents to discuss with City. This is because, Milan can't in any way improve Kaka's terms at the club any more than it already is. All this said, Silvio hopes that Kaka will stay!

Makes me feel a little better, but not by much.

I think among all the self financing clubs we shall be top of the heap. But no self-financing club can ever compete with bankrolled clubs.

I think it's about time clubs like Milan, Barca, Juve, United, Munich all put their weight behind FIFA and introduced that damn salary cap. That to me, seems like the only thing that will restore sanity.

The salary cap must be fixed appropriate to the club's standings and earnings (from competition only, otherwise EPL will walk over others again!), this along with a fixed debt to asset ratio.

I think among all the self financing clubs we shall be top of the heap. But no self-financing club can ever compete with bankrolled clubs.

I think it's about time clubs like Milan, Barca, Juve, United, Munich all put their weight behind FIFA and introduced that damn salary cap. That to me, seems like the only thing that will restore sanity.

The salary cap must be fixed appropriate to the club's standings and earnings (from competition only, otherwise EPL will walk over others again!), this along with a fixed debt to asset ratio.

So about Diego. Whoever buys him from Bremen is going to need to throw in a chauffeur. He was recently pulled over and was found to be driving drunk. He got a fine and had his driver's license pulled.

Well, if his agent demands a raise every tiem another club makes a bid...I'm not entirely sure all the blame falls on Milan. There has to be a limit.

kaka aleady earn more than double than the secnd highest paid players r80 and that is what silvio said that milan cant offer anymore wages while man city are...... the wages debate is important bcoz we not only get money from his sales but wages of about 2-3 current or future players

Actually, his agent has rather a lot of say in things, blue. I'm not happy about it either, but that's the way it is.

Maldini never earned more than double any other player on the squad, blue.

Maldini never earned more than double any other player on the squad, blue.

Well, if his agent demands a raise every tiem another club makes a bid...I'm not entirely sure all the blame falls on Milan. There has to be a limit.

Well, if his agent demands a raise every tiem another club makes a bid...I'm not entirely sure all the blame falls on Milan. There has to be a limit.

For the first time since the announcement, the Brazilian spoke to Milan Channel, to give his thoughts on what recently took place.

"Not even for thirty seconds did I think about leaving," he stated.

“I never wanted money or anything. I am doing very well in a place where people respect and love me, and I am therefore happy to be here.

“My family has been very good to me as always, however I had no doubts as to what I would be doing this time around.

“I went with my heart, as it was never going to be an economic choice for me.

“At Milan there are wonderful people, and just to confirm, I have never, and will never, ask for an increase in my wages at this club."

“Everyone here is very good to me, and for this I can only thank them,” he added.

“I will be celebrating at home with a couple of friends now that this is all over, and I’m just looking ahead to moving forward with Milan.

“I am a strong believer in God; however it is not always the most logical path that God chooses for us.

“If the club had accepted an offer, I would have been very upset and disappointing in leaving.

“My companions have been exceptional to me as well over this time, even though they knew that I was never going to join Manchester City.

“I would like to embrace all those who have sent me messages recently, so thank you all very much,” he concluded.

“At Milan there are wonderful people, and just to confirm, I have never, and will never, ask for an increase in my wages at this club."

“At Milan there are wonderful people, and just to confirm, I have never, and will never, ask for an increase in my wages at this club."

Does that include his father's taking advantage of the Madrid situation last year to get Kaka's contract reworked more than once?

I remember I read somewhere that he said the club decided to extend his contract...

Hsm. The Italian media is reporting that Portsmouth are interested in Emerson.

Hsm. The Italian media is reporting that Portsmouth are interested in Emerson.

I'm sure we won't get rid of a DM, especially not after no Gattuso sub came in..

We should pay them to take him.

flamini, cardaccio

Blasphemy! are you comparing them with the mighty Emo? we NEED Emerson to stay!

Exactly!

I can't wait till Emerson is given the armband after Paolo.

Anche dalla stampa inglese, nella fattispecie il "solito" News of the World, giungono conferme sulla volontà del Portsmouth di portare a casa Emerson. Il tecnico dei Pompeys Tony Adams avrebbe identificato nel milanista l'elemento ideale per sostituire Lassana Diarra, passato al Real Madrid. Il Milan concederà il prestito nel caso si apra la possibilità di trattenere David Beckham in rossonero