We warned you that the Barclays Asia Trophy was likely to be a hot competition when the participants were named several months back - Hicks, Gillett, Gaydamek and Al-Fayed at one event was always likely to engender a creative little affair. And, so it has proved to date.
This is the third of these pre-season bookmaker benefit tournaments. The fundamental structure requires a number of Premiership teams to take part in a four team pre-season event based in a key gambling location in the Far East - this year, to celebrate ten years without British rule, Hong Kong is hosting the event. A local team is admitted to the select grouping for marketing purposes.
Stripping these type of tournaments down to their basics reveals a very low level of competitive motivation. The heat, the humidity, the lack of match practice, the sheer irrelevance of the footballing part of the spectacular society equation combine to produce a sport that is a shadow of what it is able to be.
And, yet, these events must be taken with great seriousness in the non-footballing sectors that link leech-like onto the global game. The most obvious beneficiaries are the European bookmakers. Europe is in total control of the Barclays Asia Trophy at all strata from sponsorship, the selection of match officials, determination of match outcome to betting market control. NONE of the leading Asian firms (either legal or underground) are willing to go near the matches due to the absolute control of the European layers. This ultimate control of the outcomes yields a totally non-competitive and fixed environment. There is no meritocracy in winning the Barclays. Despite the lack of interest in this psychopathic event from the Asians, the European bookies, thanks to Sky coverage and gutter media promotion, attained turnover similar to typical weekend Premiership matches for two non-competitive kickarounds.
In a range of desperate attempts to gain some marketing validity for the event, much pressure has been exerted to attach value-added peripherals to the tournament. The bringing on board of Barclays gives kudos as does the choice of English referees whose selection, despite their widespread corruption, indicates that the Europeans have serious intent with regard to the tournament. Its a pity that this serious intent is financial and manipulated rather than any irritating integrity in sport angle. In a final desperate attempt to increase the gravity of the tournament, FIFA was persuaded to promote the event as part of their "kicking football out of football" campaign. So, eventually, a structure has been created whereby the games are meaningless friendlies that do not even count statistically towards the player's careers but a big marketing shout involving the bookies, Barclays, FIFA and the Premier League has bestowed upon the event a fake spectacular gloss.
The marketing of English football to the consumerist gullibles of the Far East is a necessary part of all Premiership teams profiles. Merchandising is major but forming links with Asian betting market operations is also an important sideline to the allegedly main event. Among the people known to be or rumoured to be in Hong Kong are Carson Yeung, Thaksin Shinawatra, Richard Scudamore, Harry Redknapp, Hicks and Gillett, Gaydamek, Steve McManaman, David James, the Sky tv team, representatives of the leading European bookies and some of the leading Asian bookmakers. It is thought unlikely that conversations will stick to the glory of winning the Barclays Asia Trophy.
The first two matches were hardly enthralling. The ground was only 10% full for the start of the riveting clash between Al-Fayed and Gaydamek and the lack of an atmosphere was palpable despite the Sky tv technical operators turning up the crowd volume to a maximum. The key marketing dynamic was to ensure the highly marketable Liverpool Reds got to Friday's final which they did courtesy of Mark Clattenburg's total control of events within 25 metres of the South China Athletic Association goal. The fact that Liverpool required Clattenburg's input for both Riise's free kick and the penalty is a little sad in itself.
Anyway, the final is to be between the Liverpool Reds and the Israeli Blues and somewhere there exists a particle of knowledge that represents the known outcome to this future event. Without being privy to this information, only a fool would be tempted into this betting marketplace pre-match. Keep your money in your pocket and watch...
© Football Is Fixed/Dietrological
