“Unreal Happiness” of FIFA World Cup

Saturday June 12, 2010 is the beginning of new history of football in Africa. It was the first FIFA world cup located in Africa continental. Located in the capital city of South Africa, Johannesburg, the first match was begun between South Africa and Uruguay. Although, only 2 goals were made, one for each, the loud sounds of vuvuzela (a traditional music instrument of South Africa) indicate the happiness of African. Since FIFA decided that this agenda which is held once for 4 years should be located in different continental.

Football is not only the matter of sport; the players bring the name of their country when they participate in certain country. Before starting the match, the national anthem will be sung by all players and supporters attending the stadium with putting their hands on heart. The flag of their country is one of the attribute on the jersey. Sometimes, when they make a goal, they will kiss the logo of the jersey even the flag on it. Players and football lovers often cry when their team lose and laugh by holding a party when they win the match.

These all reasons make football becomes interesting to be discussed. Politician, kyai, economist, actor and actress talk about football. However, this condition implied other aspects of pride of country and sport, as football have many lovers, the industrialization project or profit minded will come. The huge sum of the mass include in the activities of football attract industrial doers or I can say capitalists, to create potential market. The potential market for the products related to football. This is very common where the mass concentrate, the logic of capitalism, which only thinking about profit, will operate . Here the industry doers will control the market structure-market conduct-market performance in gaining more profit.

They then arrange the salary of the players, the price of the players in transfer window, till the daily life of the players which become the trends in the football society. It has been common secret that the salary of Wayne Rooney, who plays for Manchester United, Michael Ballack in Chelsea, Emanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez who play for Manchester City FC, given more than 1.5 billion rupiahs for only a week. Then, we still remember that the most expensive price for football player is hold by Cristiano Ronaldo, 1.1 trillion paid by Real Madrid FC, Spain to own this Portuguese footballer. Next, the life style of society’s idol becomes certain trends that imitate by them. Indirectly, it can be called as the effort of standardization for the society life. Soon after David Beckham change his hair style to Mohawk in FIFA World Cup 2006 Germany, the society try to imitate him, or when Victoria Adams, his wife, has plastic surgery for her breast, many women follow her. Unconsciously, the regulator of world cup or the people behind them create the idols for our society (this universe filled by idols). This shaped superiority of the contestants’ countries in their mind and we are inferior? And those kind of imitation in culture industry becomes common (or I can say become absolute? As Horkheimer and Adorno statement) and this all happens because of the conglomeration of the football itself.

This condition becomes worse when the media give much portion in their exposure. It is because the media, first, make priority for its market exchange value than public use value. Second, the liberalization of the media which creates the entire of the market in winning the global competition . Media make it as the representation as the fact that should be recognized by football lovers, most of them has no choice. Hence, the reduction of football is happening. Now, football becomes the commodities of the capitalist which serve “unreal happiness” to the society through its glamorous styles. Once more the logic of accumulation or never-ending circuit of capital accumulation: M-C-M (Money-Commodities-More money) happens here.

In this case, the penetration of culture really happens here, the culture of capitalism that can abolish the real meaning or the substance of original things. This will be another prove that the real power in this universe, I mean which controls the society’s life, is on businessman or capitalists . However, in any condition the mass (football society?) will be fool that controlled to the world which they have no sense about it.

Another prove of the insipidness of capitalist; let’s see what have been said by Omar Qaddafi, the leader of Libya, before the grand opening ceremony of world cup.
“FIFA actually has lot of budget to hold a world cup, in fact almost all the cost should be paid by the host, and they try to monopoly football.” Moreover, the cost for maintaining the facilities after the agenda is ended is burden to the tax earning, learning from the case of bird nest stadium which often unused. The government of china confuses what kind of event should be held to fulfill the sum of the cost for this national expensive asset. So, will we continue this “unreal happiness?” However the ideal criticism idea should be continued deployed to our society that can bring them to the enlightenment .