By Monitor
THERE is concern in football circles at the low gates Premier League and Spanish first division sides are attracting. The alarm bells are already ringing at Chelsea, who despite spending a small fortune on new players, have seen their attendance figures drop. The same can be said for pay-for-view matches on television. Football is no longer as popular as it once was. I have a theory that there are just too many foreign players in the league. Take Real Mallorca, they have just one Majorcan playing in their first eleven. If there was an important foreign mix among their supporters this would not be a problem, but when almost 80 percent (or even more) are Majorcan, then it can cause a problem. Until recently a Champions League clash between Liverpool and Real Madrid would have been billed as a battle between England and Spain and obviously this gives the match an added edge. However, there are more Spanish players in the Liverpool squad than there are at Real Madrid, but that is how the game has changed. The real supporter will always turn out, but the problem is the floating fan who make-up about 50 percent of your average gate. If they are not turning out then football clubs have a real problem.
Soccer blues