Turning Negative to Positive
There has been an air of inevitability about Mallorca’s summer proceedings. With all of the turmoil and news of financial meltdown, first there was the inevitable bankruptcy. Then the inevitable exodus, players being forced out because of the lack of funds, not because of a specific desire to play elsewhere. In those dark moments there was one light at the end of the tunnel: a European adventure awaited as a reward for last season’s hard work. But after UEFA first aired their plans, a cloud of inevitability gathered over that dream, too.
From the second the final whistle called to a halt an astronomically successful, exciting and uplifting season, the summer has been a snowball careening downhill, building speed and building momentum, gaining in size and strength and – most disconcerting of all – obliterating all in its path. Mallorca has taken the brunt of these forces, and may now have received the knockout blow.
The initial disappointment of last season’s dying moments – where Sevilla undeservedly stole ahead of Mallorca into fourth place – gave way to realism, and with it the realisation of the immense achievement the team had made. A fifth place finish brought an adrenaline-filled season to an incredibly satisfying conclusion, and Mallorca had earned their place in the Europa League. Despite the club’s stature, a European adventure awaited.
Since then, though, the disappointment has only gathered more momentum, with almost everything going wrong, leaving the club in disarray. Financial burdens have manifested themselves in the unnecessary departures of both coach Manzano and star players Aduriz and Borja Valero, with others soon to follow, and, now, those financial matters have resulted in UEFA’s decision to expel the club from Europe.
The adventure is over before it has even begun.
The club’s reaction is imminent, but it is unlikely that the ruling will be overturned. If the financial issues were in order there would be a chance; as it is, the club may simply have to file an appeal just to save what little face it has left after such turbulent times. Certainly, we can live in hope of a successful appeal, but after UEFA have already elected to drop the bombshell, it looks as though it may be too much to ask for. Perhaps it’s another case of the dreaded inevitability.
So, how should UEFA’s decision be viewed? Are they right? Wrong? Who is to blame for the entire fiasco? Such an important decision draws to mind an infinite number of questions, and results in an even larger amount of heavy consequences.
In the minds of every Mallorca supporter, the unanimous answer to the first question is that UEFA are wrong; the playground bullies, kicking the club when it is already down. The facts are that Mallorca earned their place in Europe and UEFA are violating their own rules by barring them from competing. Sure, the small-print may dictate otherwise, but the team performed heroically last season, and fifth place in an extremely competitive La Liga should bring about the warranted reward. The fans and players should not be punished for any off-field action.
In fairness to UEFA, though, Mallorca’s financial situation does render it an immense liability to have the club playing in Europe, whether it is deserved or not. Figures in the media put the debt at between 60 and 70 million Euros, and the finger of blame has to be pointed squarely at the club’s hierarchy, a circus system where finances have not been arranged acceptably. That, at least, is not UEFA’s fault. The club has made immense profits from the sales of players in recent times and this should have paid the way for the club to be safely run, yet it all seems to have disappeared. Where has it gone? Mismanagement has steered the club to its current position, and it is an immense shame that such political and financial antics have decided the sporting fate of the club.
Despite all of this negativity, though, there are real positives that could stem from Mallorca’s lack of participation in Europe for the forthcoming season. The most glaringly obvious is the fact that it will realign the focus of the squad and the club: a focus that must reside with La Liga. There is no point in worrying about Europe, or even the Copa, for that matter. With the state of the team’s affairs right now, the club must be narrow-minded.
All that matters is the new inevitability: a fight against relegation. Mallorca has long battled the drop, and in recent times made an extremely successful job of it, but one cannot expect miracles like last season to occur, especially with the recent outgoing transfers. With the pileup of fixtures the Europa League would bring, the squad would be spread extremely thin, and this would have impacted the club negatively as far as the league is concerned. With just the league to focus on, there will be no excuses.
With all of the debt the club is in one could argue that playing in Europe was just what the club needed; the money on offer for prizes and participation could have helped Mallorca immensely. But in the long run, the club must reinvest and rebuild – and this starts with league success. Falling into the Segunda division would be a fatal blow from which the club and its finances may never recover, and if it came to a trade-off between being in Europe and being relegated, or not being in Europe and surviving, the choice is obvious.
One must be realistic, too. With the squad that the club had last season, Mallorca could have been a threat in the Europa League and made a real push towards the final rounds. Who knows, maybe they would have gone all the way? It’s not impossible. But that squad has been torn apart; dismantled, one by one. The pieces of that particular puzzle have been scattered just when all the gaps seemed to be closing up, and in all probability, the club’s European adventure, as exciting as it would have been, would be unlikely to end in success with the squad the way it is now.
The news could bring a mood of disappointment and sadness to the squad, but conversely, it may do the exact opposite. And this draws to mind another positive: determination. After the treatment by UEFA, Mallorca may want to prove that it deserved its chance to shine, and there would be no better way to do this than to perform valiantly over the course of the coming season, getting the results the club needs to get back on track.
The club is almost a clean slate. The squad is looking for leaders to propel it forward, and this can instill a huge sense of ambition in the players. With new manager Michael Laudrup likely having to enact a youth policy just to get through the season, the club is a proving ground for fresh talent looking to break through, and one can imagine that nearly every position is up for grabs. If ever there was a time for a player to make his mark on the club, it is now. Should they bring success to the club – and success may be as simple as avoiding relegation – then they will be remembered for years to come almost as a guardian angel, keeping the club on the right path when all seemed lost.
If nothing else, perhaps a final positive is this: it can’t possibly get any worse, can it? (Naturally, it can. Relegation would be the final nail in the coffin – but the squad has one more chance before then.)
Still, it’s a shame that the club have been forced out of Europe in such a way, ending their hopes before they start. And for all of the positives, one cannot help but feel that the only ones who really suffer because of all the politics are the fans – loyal fans that deserve their adventure after such an exciting season – and the players, who are warranted their chance to shine in the European spotlight after their performances.
Alas, it was not to be… barring a miracle appeal. But Mallorca may have used up all of their miracles just to get here.
So the last remaining hope is that, as the season draws on, Mallorca can find solace in the fact that their European expulsion was a blessing in disguise. So long as they avoid the drop this season, I, for one, will certainly accept that it was.
- Phil M.