| There's a saying: 'Money can't buy you happiness'. | | | | Football becomes a sub-real simulation of its own |
| If you're a football club owner with the biggest | | | | reality. With one club owner having limitless |
| budget on the market you can buy best players, | | | | budget, his/her football knowledge, work and skills |
| that can make you happy. Now, if those players | | | | of managing a club do not effect his/her success |
| do not make you good profit, would that not | | | | in the business, billionaire can continue to bring in |
| make you happy? Not if you are a billionaire, what | | | | the expensive players, sack head-coaches upon |
| are millions in compare to billions. | | | | his/her desire. |
| With a net worth of $10, $20, $30 billion, are you | | | | Even if the club suffers the biggest financial losses |
| to invest money and much of your time in | | | | in football world, the club will not go to bankruptcy |
| something that may bring you profit over the | | | | as the billionaire will add additional hundreds of |
| years of no more than several hundreds of | | | | millions since the football club's budget does not |
| millions or losses in the same value? How could | | | | depend on its football performance. |
| you spend a billion anyway? | | | | How does this effect the game of football? There |
| You buy the most expensive cars, houses, | | | | doesn't seem to be much sportsmanship for one |
| yachts, airplanes, all that luxury still may not top | | | | club to buy world top players (so many that a |
| $1 billion. Pleasure among machines, butlers, | | | | half of them will be reserves) while many other |
| personnel, can make you feel like a saddened King | | | | clubs can't afford to pay one or two such players |
| from fairy-tales. There must be a more humanly | | | | for their first team. |
| joy. | | | | The beauty of the game suffers as well. In two |
| You buy a media exposure, be in the spotlight | | | | and a half years with Portugal's FC Porto coach |
| where everybody are watching, you move | | | | Jose Mourinho won 2 domestic titles, including the |
| masses of tens of thousands of people in the | | | | European Champions League title in May 2004 by |
| stadium as if they are marionettes and you are a | | | | eliminating clubs with far greater budgets. Several |
| wire-puller, you build your own fantasy world. | | | | months later Mourinho, named the world's best |
| You make news headlines by being a super | | | | coach in 2004, was brought to Chelsea. |
| spender in the most watched sporting league in | | | | In just 3 years he managed to win 2 league titles, |
| the world. Yes, you buy yourself a top football | | | | including club's first championship in 50 years, 1 FA |
| club and it wouldn't cost you more than a billion or | | | | cup, 2 Carling Cups, along setting several Premier |
| so! You become a real-time Fantasy Football | | | | League records. Mourinho at Chelsea did more |
| Manager. | | | | than simple buying world football super-stars like |
| Fantasy Football Manager is a football | | | | Real Madrid C.F. did at that time, he offered |
| management simulation computer game first | | | | contracts to players who were to develop to |
| released in 1980s where you are the General | | | | some of the world's best team-players playing for |
| Manager of your very own fantasy football team. | | | | Chelsea. |
| Nowadays, most popular sports web-sites offer a | | | | Chelsea as a sovereign ruler of England's football |
| chance for visitors to play the Fantasy Football | | | | fields and a perfect football team was as if not |
| League Management game. | | | | offering enough excitement for the club's billionaire |
| In the real-time world, Chelsea FC was purchased | | | | owner. After winning consecutive titles, Chelsea |
| by a billionaire in June 2003. Since then, the club is | | | | signed two major football super-stars, |
| witnessing record losses, the billionaire's | | | | Shevchenko (for a British record transfer fee) |
| involvement with Chelsea is described by | | | | and Ballack, both of which did not match |
| Wikipedia as 'to have distorted the football | | | | Mourinho's concept of team play. |
| transfer market throughout Europe, as his wealth | | | | It was the beginning of one great football mind's |
| often allows the club to purchase players virtually | | | | end with Chelsea, Mourinho was fired as the most |
| at will (frequently at inflated prices), without | | | | successful head-coach in club's history in the years |
| regard for the effects on the club's financial | | | | of his success. Welcome to the real-time Fantasy |
| outturn'. | | | | Football Manager as a spectator, player or |
| How does this effect the reality of football? | | | | head-coach! |