Groucho Marxism

We are currently around halfway through the 2026 World Cup. It is estimated that this event will generate almost $41 billion in revenue for the economies of the host nations: the US, Mexico, and Canada. It will also generate billions in revenue for economies across the world. But it is the big companies that will benefit, not the workers who serve the food, staff the hotels, make the replica shirts, and so on. This World Cup was mired in controversy several months before a ball was even kicked. Back in December last year, the draw witnessed the spectacle of FIFA President Gianni Infantino grovelling to President Trump and ludicrously awarding him a Peace Trophy. This set the tone for what would be the most corporatized World Cup in history.

The most egregious evidence of this corporatization can be found in the exorbitant ticket prices. Although there are some ‘cheap’ tickets costing around $60, tickets for most games cost between $400 and $700, and tickets for the final are likely to cost $8,000 plus. These high ticket prices are effectively a tax the loyalty of fans who travel the World Cup, many of whom have been forced to take out loans or spend their life savings just to watch their country play. The inevitable result is that often it is only the financial elite who are able to attend games, with thousands of tickets being bought up by corporations and every match being attended by a gaggle of celebrities, most of whom have no connection to football whatsoever.

Forms of football have been played throughout the world for thousands of years. Unruly ‘folk football’ was played in Britain between the 12th and 19th centuries, pitting village against village. In the 17th century this spilled over into political action when folk football was played to oppose the enclosure of land. Football was subsequently banned by the state but a form continued to be played in the universities and public schools. The rules of football were codified at a meeting in London in 1863, and the (English) Football League was founded in 1888. Whilst the rules of football were developed in England, the passing game – reflection of the discipline of workers – was developed in Scotland. The fusion of the English rules and the Scottish mode of play then swept the world.

Football soon became part of the fabric of British society, as workers would leave their mills, factories, or shipyards at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon, head to the pub, then on to the match at 3pm. The Football League, initially a Northern and Midlands League, expended nationally as the development of the rail network made travel easier. Clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal were formed by workers: rail workers at Manchester United (originally Newton Heath) and munitions workers at Arsenal (originally Woolwich Arsenal). These clubs naturally had a socialist ethos, but it wasn’t long before football became a money making enterprise. As crowds increased, grounds were enclosed and an admission price was introduced.

The development of the football industry has mirrored the development of capitalism and the industry now reflects the corporate neoliberal society that we live in, where the rich get richer and the poor struggle to survive. Big clubs are now owned by billionaires, or in some cases by petrostates. These corporate clubs are discussed in financial journals as much as in the back pages of the tabloids. Meanwhile, smaller clubs are facing financial meltdown. In 2019 Bury FC, one of the oldest football clubs in the world, went bust. Many smaller clubs have suffered a similar fate, often due to the actions of dodgy owners. Larger clubs appear to be exempt though: Manchester City, faced with 115 charges of financial irregularities, has so far not received any sanctions and continues to stack up trophies.

Just as with any other multi-billion dollar corporate enterprise, football’s governing bodies are rotten to the core. But despite all the corruption football remains the peoples’ game. At every match in the World Cup we see people from all over the world sharing the joy of victory and misery of defeat. This shows that real solidarity naturally exists among people and is a refreshing counterpoint to the division fostered by capitalism and imperialism. It provides a glimpse of future human solidarity within a socialist society. We must link our fight against big business control of football to our fight against big business control of society more generally. It is time for us to wrest control of football from billionaire class, just as we must wrest control of society from the billionaire class.