- Lots of mistakes, no learning curve: UEFA is irritating with its behavior and has to take a lot of criticism during the European Championship.
- Marketing expert: “Sports organizations are still in a professionalization process”.
- Changes, rethinking and learning effects are “difficult” in large associations.
Criticism of large sports associations is now almost a reflex, an automatism. The mistrust of the organizations is huge, the reputation is battered or bad. Seen in this way, the European Football Union (UEFA) diligently cultivating negative image at the current European Championship. Because the number of missteps has now grown to a considerable level. The crisis behavior? Unfortunately, it ends up in all sorts of faux pas. And the learning effect? If it is around zero, at least it works.
Every UEFA faux pas is almost worth its own story. And every time the association received verbal violets and had to take a lot of criticism. Especially in the behavior around the Corona crisis, UEFA showed little to no instinct, but implemented its own wishes and demands with a moral mallet. The host cities were put under pressure in the run-up to the EM, Let fans into the stadium. Whoever refuses to fly was the subtle hint at the time. To this end, Great Britain should “adjust” the quarantine rules for VIPs. If that hadn’t worked, the finals wouldn’t have taken place in London. Here too: a threat, as simple as it is effective.
EM 2021: The wishes have come thick and fast
In the course of the tournament, the capacities in the stadiums were increased in parallel with increasing incidences – as in England, for example. UEFA is silent – or refers to the local authorities. “You can’t perform like that. As the host, I’m just as much in the boat,” criticized Dr. Tim Ströbel, Professor of Marketing and Sports Management at the University of Bayreuth, in conversation with our editorial team. For the normal citizen, this is not understandable, said Ströbel, “from a marketing perspective it is difficult to explain and communicate. I had the feeling: the tournament started well, but then UEFA’s wishes came thick and fast.”
The EM as a superspreader event: The accusation has long been there, in about two weeks you should then know whether and to what extent the tournament was actually a pandemic driver. Either way: pictures of 60,000 fans like in the semi-finals in London, without masks and without distance, instead lying in their arms in ecstasy of joy, are at incidences of over 200 in Great Britain at least irritating. One effect: The original intention to host a tournament of a united Europe is thus fading into the background.
Anger and incomprehension
UEFA’s behavior in the so-called rainbow debate was also irritating. The association had itself the ban on the stadium in Munich in the colors for more tolerance and to let equality shine, attracted the anger and incomprehension of many participants. The combination of politics and sport has always been a tightrope act. “You always piss someone off when you make such decisions, because the issues and decisions are very complex,” Ströbel emphasizes: “Nevertheless, you have to face the issue openly. And with certain decisions you make it too easy for yourself at UEFA.”
Because the expert makes it clear: The association is not apolitical, as UEFA always calls itself. “There is always a political dimension to it. Sometimes there are even political issues of an international dimension that are included,” said Ströbel, referring, for example, to the awarding of the Games to Baku, which is basically a political statement. “In the case of the rainbow debate, UEFA could have taken a clear position on its values and the association could have picked up the ball relatively elegantly,” he said.
Why is there no learning effect?
A big question in the debate: Why is there no learning effect within the association after the sometimes massive criticism? Why do you stay on the wrong track with such accuracy? “You shouldn’t underestimate the fact that there are so many different opinions and perspectives in such a large association. In the end, it is the quality of the managers to get everything under one roof. But it is also the difficulty,” says Ströbel .
Not only UEFA has these problems, the world association FIFA also regularly delivers scandals, not to mention the permanent crisis of the German Football Association (DFB). A follow-up question: How good and modern are the structures within the association? “One could dare to argue that sports organizations are still in a process of professionalization. There is still potential,” said Ströbel.
A traditional accusation: UEFA, FIFA or DFB it’s all about money first and foremost. The functionaries are driven by profit maximization, morality and decency are therefore sought in vain, it is said. The fact that the associations are also interested in monetization is no surprise to Ströbel, but rather logical, “because UEFA basically operates like a commercial company. And of course the EM is about money, it’s a commercial event, one of the biggest of the world.”
Too much focus on commerce
The problem is the prioritization, the external weighting. “The subject of commercialization is very much in focus, which is why such an association has such a bad image,” said the marketing expert. Because there is just not just this perspective. Football and a tournament convey values and social norms and convey emotions. The core of it all is and will be a soccer game. At least in theory. The challenge for the associations: To be a profitable company without neglecting values. “UEFA should convey that better,” says Ströbel: “It must never be forgotten that it is essentially about the football game. But it will be the case with the people involved from time to time.”
So is football morally broken? Here comes from the experts “a clear no. Football is a reflection of society, there are many interests, opinions and directions to be found again. The rainbow debate has shown that football can help to bring things to the public and to discuss them controversially “says Ströbel.
Not a sure-fire success
The shared love of football is the perfect starting point for working together on the platform and working on issues, said Ströbel, who takes UEFA responsibility for: “The association could deal with it even more proactively. You have to be your own Role to be even more conscious. ” Learn from mistakes, communicate more openly and transparently. Don’t hide anything from people, don’t gloss over anything, or even hush up problems. “To explain why you do certain things. And that you also do good things to make it clear how positive such an event can be,” said Ströbel.
It will not be a sure-fire success in the future, provided that it is even wanted within the association. Ströbel knows: “Change processes, rethinking, learning processes are difficult in large organizations.” Here, too, the prerequisite: competent management. “It stands and falls with those responsible and whether and how they want to deal with it,” says the expert, who also sees the positive aspects of the tournament: “Football was played and you could feel the enthusiasm. For how much you feel it has bought, however, is the big question that has to be clarified afterwards. ” So that you leave out the faux pas in the future.
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England can hardly believe it: the national team has overcome its trauma and is in the final of a major tournament for the first time in 55 years. Meanwhile, Denmark is struggling with a controversial penalty.
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