Question of the Week: What will football be like in 50 years?

[Mandieta6]

This is a new idea for a feature we could have in the Soccer forum. The idea is, each week a question regarding football will be posted and everyone is welcome to come and contribute their thoughts about that question. The hope is that we could get a different debate/discussion going on each week about a different aspect of football.

This is not going to be a mindless 'who is the best player/team on the world' poll. This will be the place for well-thought discussion. There are sufficient intelligent members in the forum for this to work, and with time, we could get a lot of variety with the questions and those who know a lot about some aspects could teach the rest of us about them. For example, there are several fans of the Portuguese league here whereas most of us know little about it. Here would be the place for the rest of us to learn from them and in return, teach them when the discussion turns to an aspect you know well and they do not.

If you have an idea for a question you would like to see, PM it to me, and each week one question will be selected based on the quality of the question and it's subject. I will not choose the questions on my own, but this is the best way to ensure that we don't keep discussing the same things (ahem Barcelona ahem Premiership ahem).

So, on to this week's question, courtesy of Horatiu: What will football be like in 50 years?

You can discuss any aspect you'd like that falls under that blanket: which nation will have the best league, what will the transfer market be like, will people still follow football, which formation will be the most popular, will Europe still dominate the sport, where will the World Cup take place, etc.

Have fun with it.

 

[Mandieta6]

My thoughts on Africa in the next 50 years:

I think it was Pele who said that an African team would win the World Cup in the next 100 years, and I can definitely see that happening. African players tend to be more athletic, but have lacked the support and infrastructure to teach top footballing education, in general. Gradually, African countries will approach Europe in economical terms, and this will help pour more money into sports, and therefor football. More facilities and better coaches are necessary so young players can learn and improve, instead of just the best players getting sent off to Europe.

At the top level, the top African nations have made huge advancements, and once the close the gap in terms of tactics and youth development, I really think that they could dominate the sport. In 50 years, African nations would host the World Cup multiple times, too, and the 2010 WC helped lay the groundwork and infrastrcutre for the footballing culture in South Africa, and if this continued to happen at more countries, the general quality would improve.

There's also the fact that if their economy improves, as well as quality of life, immigration will rise, more jobs would be available and this would all work as a platform for Africa, as a whole, to be the focus of a shift, which in terms of football, could see them rival Europe as a top footballing continent. I don't think this could happen in 50 years, maybe 100-150 years, but in 50 years I certainly thinki that Ghana, Ivory Coast or the like could win the World Cup. Ghana were a handball away from reaching the Semis last time, and if they continue to produce top footballers, and I think that they gradually will produce more and better players, they could win it.

 

[Filipower]

Obviously it's a bit hard to predict something in 50/100 years (that's why douchebag Pele did it), but yes African football is definitely evolving. Nigeria was apparently going to become a superpower in the 90s, but look what happened to them, though. That's the problem with Africa, the political/social issues are so volatile that it's hard to predict what would happen in a "minor" thing like sport.

 

[farmboy]

football in 50 years? doping is legal and mandates to do so are written into player contracts. television, err, internet coverage becomes ever more the focus - attending games live becomes a luxury reserved for the rich who, in all likelyhood, are pouring money into the team to make money off the aforementioned internet coverage. the ball is completely digital, officiating is done using software that monitors cameras watching every cm of the pitch (or something similar). people from our generation look back at today's game with nostalgia; fondly talking of the two Ronaldos and Zidane, whom kids erroneously believe all played at Real at the same time, along with Messi, and to a lesser extent, Rooney.

Africa may or may not become a major force in world football, I don't know. A lot of other things need to, but very well may, happen first. Success will follow economic power.

 

[Mandieta6]

As time goes on, I think we can expect players to continue to combine greater athleticism with excellent technique, at least in Europe, and for the players to get progressively better. While there's no substitude for natural talent, the fact that with time we should be seeing more and more qualified coaches, more specialised (and better researched) coaching techniques, which will slowly push better and better training down the ladder, meaning that an 11-year-old at an average club could get similar quality in training as a top footballer in a top club now. Since big clubs are going to try and purchase younger and younger players, meaning the best players will get the best training from an even younger age, we should be seeing not only better players, but better teams.

One thing I'm really curious is tactics, like how the Number 10 role has been on the decline in recent years. It'd be impossible to forsee how tactics will evolve in so much time, but any theories on what will happen to tactics?

 

[Back Door Skip]

I think the 4-4-2 will become extinct and those type of wingers will be as well, with more winger / strikers focusing on 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 type of formations making it a very offensive-minded game.

 

[Filipower]

Thankfully Greece 2004 was a warning sign.

 

[theo]

I just hope the Champions League stays as it is and it doesn't get replaced by some global cup so the sheikhs can be pleased. reffering to leagues, I can see Russia gaining a lot of ground, maybe Ukraine too. when it comes to national teams though, it's harder to predict because it's not just about finances. it's also about infrastructure, mentality and even genes. that's why I don't see African teams dominating unless something major changes. I guess someone like Japan, Korea or the US might emerge, but judging by the fact that in the last 50 years not many things changed, nation-wise, it still is a wild guess.

 

[Filipower]

I also read that Nistelrooy said something about the Oil Money being great for the game. Of course he's biased, but I agree, the game needs this kind of changes, of movement.

 

[RobbieD_PL]

In 50 years the virtual gamers will surpass teh real players for prestige and prize money.

But in all seriousness, what i'd like to see, and sooner than 50 years, is to scrap the format of the Confederations Cup to replace them with Confederation supranational teams like: UEFA XI, AFC XI, CAF XI, OFC XI, CONMEBOL XI and CONCACAF XI.

 

[Pogba4Now]

Us trying to predict football in 50 years sounds a bit like this:

 

[Filipower]

Hahahaha Fortran!

 

[ARIAGA II]

For some reason I'm sure there will be cheerleaders.

On a serious note, I can see more teams going under foreign ownership, Milan will be one of the first I predict...Also just like City is probably part of the European elite I can see Málaga, PSG & Roma doing the same...also the 'oil money' will help the growth and attraction of many leagues so we may have teams from France and Ukraine winning the UCL (if there still is one).

 

[Filipower]

Benfica has those already.

 

[ARIAGA II]

Juventus too.

 

[Keegan]

In fifty years time, Referees will hover over the game, the touchlines and goal-lines will have infrared technology to determine if the ball has crossed, jerseys, shorts and boots will be air-conditioned, the ball will have a sensor that goes off if it touches the hand of any players other than the goalies (outside of a throw-in or other break in play) and Manchester United will be coached by SAF's head which will be in a funny round container with a flat base surrounded by something that looks funnily like water.

 

[ARIAGA II]

There won't be any goaline technology I bet everything on it.

 

[poet11]

This is an interesting thread.

I can see Brazilian football evolving and becoming bigger. I mean the league.

European Super League could happen if theirs no solution to the financial problems in Europe. It would depend on the direction the people in charge want to take. Things could go tits up and they could decide either to create a break-away league for the "elite" or settle down matters with the rest to get football back on track.

Football will only be for the rich.

Tactically, I can see specialists will be no more.

 

[Sevillista]

As time goes on, I think we can expect players to continue to combine greater athleticism with excellent technique, at least in Europe, and for the players to get progressively better. While there's no substitude for natural talent, the fact that with time we should be seeing more and more qualified coaches, more specialised (and better researched) coaching techniques, which will slowly push better and better training down the ladder, meaning that an 11-year-old at an average club could get similar quality in training as a top footballer in a top club now. Since big clubs are going to try and purchase younger and younger players, meaning the best players will get the best training from an even younger age, we should be seeing not only better players, but better teams.

One thing I'm really curious is tactics, like how the Number 10 role has been on the decline in recent years. It'd be impossible to forsee how tactics will evolve in so much time, but any theories on what will happen to tactics?

The greatest evolution in the past few decades of all sports has been an increased athleticism in players (today's athletes would dominate any of the old greats), but I question how much farther that can go without steroids and such. I don't think the human body can get much more fit than the athletes we have today. We may see a greater number of incredibly athletic players, but I don't think we'll see players reach much greater heights, at least not in terms of athleticism.

Some predictions:
1) There will be some kind of rule change that we will look back and be surprised they ever played without it. It probably won't be significant, but something like the back pass to the keeper in the early 90's.
2) Jersey's will have more sponsors (unfortunately). Money always wins in the end.
3) There will be a debate at some point about acceptable prosthetic limbs. They are becoming so advanced, that at some point they will present an advantage instead of a disadvantage. They've already reached that debate in running competitions.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

douchebag Pele did it

Don't know what language this is dubbed in, maybe Portuguese?, but...