Treasure, Throne And Football

World Cup Trophy (Photo: By Courtesy)

JAKARTA - In Italy, you are not said to be rich if you don't have a football club. This idiom is perfectly demonstrated by the Agnelli family, a super rich conglomerate that has been wallowing in wealth for more than a century.

The Agnelli clan is the main controller of the famous football club Juventus with a shareholding percentage of up to 63 percent. They are also known to have the largest automotive business in the land of pizza through a business entity called Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino aka FIAT.

It does not stop there, the Agnelli family is also said to be the owner of the Ferrari sports car manufacturer which was annexed through the Exor NV holding. The company itself is believed to have successfully earned revenue of 144 billion US dollars in 2019 ago.

If you are observant, the symbol of the prancing horse on Ferrari is identical to the image embedded in the Juventus logo before the most successful club in Italy changed its identity in 2017. This meaning seems to convey the message that these two 'fields of money' are affiliated with the same owner.

In England, you have nothing else to talk about when you are in a pub except football. In the country of origin of this 'round skin', football is like a social doctrine that makes its people quickly unite with foreigners. All things run smoothly when it comes to football, except for one thing: you come from a hated rival club.

Seeing such high interest, the government then made use of football as a means of social control. This is done by giving special discounts in the form of ticket discounts to workers collectively through the company where they make a living.

As a result, every day the match arrives, almost all stadiums in England are filled with fans who come to watch their favorite team firsthand. It was also found that the crime rate tends to decrease when soccer matches are held because security forces can easily monitor a large number of concentrated crowds at the same time.

Another English, another in Spain. In the country of matador, football is divided based on the two biggest social stratifications, namely Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Real Madrid is plural depicted as the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. Meanwhile, Barcelona is often likened to the marginalized proletariat. The roots of the rivalry between the two major camps actually occurred due to differences in historical and cultural backgrounds.

The Spanish Civil War in 1936 is considered to be a source of rivalry between the two. Barcelona is supported by the Catalan people who are in the catalonia region. Meanwhile, Madrid is synonymous with castle society with a higher social status.

No wonder the two of them still often embed Catalan identities for Barcelona and Callista for Real Madrid.

However, the pair of football clubs chose a professional path in carrying out their activities. Catalan and Callista competitive spices are only used as a recipe in crafting charms for molding cuans.

Business is the main reason for the activities of these two football clubs in the modern era. This is evidenced by the circulation of money that occurs between the two.

According to the world's most famous statistics and data agency Statista, the football club with the largest market value in 2019 is Real Madrid, which is estimated to have reached US $ 4.23 billion. Second place is occupied by eternal rival Barcelona with a market value of 4.02 billion US dollars.

How about Indonesia?

Currently, most football clubs in the country still rely on the Regional Budget (APBD) as the main source of funding. However, Indonesia is considered to be on the right track to build a professional football industry through the initiation of a number of clubs seeking financial support through sponsorships.

In fact, the Bali United football club has transformed into a public company through an initial public offering (IPO) mechanism in mid-2019. At that time, Bali United released 33.33 percent of the club's shares and earned IDR 350 billion in fresh funds.

Most recently, the Persis Solo League 2 football club is reportedly receiving capital injection from several strategic investors. No half-hearted, a number of top names are said to be willing to invest their funds in the proud club of Wong Solo.

VOI noted that President Joko Widodo's son, Kaesang Pangarep, acquired 40 percent of the club's shares, followed by PT Plevia Makmur Abadi Director Mahendra Kevin Nugroho 30 percent, and BUMN Minister Erick Thohir 20 percent.

Especially Erick Thohir, the bureaucrat who also has a business empire in Indonesia is not a new name in the soccer industry. He is even quite active in acquiring a number of top international clubs.

One of the most phenomenal was when he bought Inter Milan's majority stake in 2013 by 70 percent. Based on information released by Forbes, he joined the Inter Milan club through International Sports Capital HK Limited with an estimated purchase of 250 million euros.

Six years later, the Mahaka boss relinquished his share ownership to the Suning Group with an estimated capital gain of 30 million euros from the difference in price between the purchase of shares and the sale of shares. This value does not include the investment income and interest income he earned during his 'costumed' Inter Milan.

Erick is also reportedly in the process of buying an English club, Oxford United. Currently, the majority share of Oxford United is owned by Thai businessman Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth with 51 percent ownership.

Referring to The Telegraph's broadcast, Sunday, March 21, Erick Thohir et al hopes to complete the transaction in the coming weeks.

For information, Erick Thohir has served as director of Oxford United from November 2018 to October 2019, but was forced to resign after being appointed as Minister of State-Owned Enterprises by President Joko Widodo.