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BARRY LANDY

Bereft of awards glamour, FIFPro’s player showcase offers the ultimate accolade

Held within four days of eachother at the turn of each year, FIFPro’s two annual marquee events couldn’t be more disparate.

The public at large will be all too familiar with one. An assembly of the world’s greatest footballers both past and present, grandeur and shiny burgundy three piece suits aplenty. Debates have raged for months over which of the world’s undisputed best players would walk away with the Ballon D’or award.

You could hardly miss it, and had you been one of the millions tuned in for the final result, you’d have done well to stick with it among the superfluous build up and excess.

On the previous Thursday in Oslo, a group of players had attended another event under the FIFPro banner, albeit under thoroughly different circumstances and one of the altogether less illustrious kind.

This was the annual FIFPro tournament and to the Ballon D’or, an entirely different world. For Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, read the unemployed professional footballers of Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Republic of Ireland.

Names you might be familiar with is the former Aston Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman and Irish defender Conor Powell, who played for the U’s in 2011.

This tournament, one of several around the world annually, is organised by the world player’s union in order to help out of contract players find a club. It’s the type of showcase you would normally associate with youth players, those of

school age looking to earn a chance in a professional club’s academy.

For many professional players, most in their 20s but some even in their 30s, this is the reality. In the countries mentioned above, short term contracts are the norm and in these leagues, an almost entire turnover of the playing staff is the reality. Some get re-signed, many don’t and reassurance is in short supply.

For Powell, who made two league appearances for the U’s in the 2010/11 season, the tournament provided a platform just he looked to pastures new in search of a new club and some financial and contractual security. Despite links to a Finnish club, the left back is still without a new side with the 2014 seasons in Ireland and Scandinavia set to resume in March.

While this tournament in an indoor sports complex on the outskirts of Oslo shares it’s host name with the host of the

world’s most prestigious player award, this is the antithesis of glamour. There’s no celebratory tone, just one of hope for players who find themselves on the edge of the game.

On the night before the tournament kicked off, Powell and his Republic of Ireland teammates sat down in a conference room in their modest hotel for a pub quiz, the height of entertainment in a three day trip it transpired.

“What does the U in UEFA stand for?” came a question. “Unemployed,” blurted out one player, to a ripple of laughter. Gallows humour is a must.

There are no guarantees in this game. A rare certainty is that’s among the shortest careers around. For the hundreds of professionals in the Football League, the Ballon D’or is a pipe dream. FIFPro’s player showcase is more akin to reality for most.

A contract would be the ultimate prize.

www.downinthebox.co.uk | @BarryLandyDITB

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Barney RonayThe Guardian

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