Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – Roger Federer & RFEF
Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world.
HIT - ROGER FEDERER
It speaks volumes for the respect and admiration that Roger Federer inspires that his greatest rivals joined him at his tearful farewell tribute during the Laver Cup at the O2 in late September.
Federer has been the epitome of tennis – the style, the smile and the elegance of his game which entertained and enraptured fans for almost a generation.
It’s no wonder, given that Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles and spent more than 300 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world that he also secured the ATP Fans’ Favourite awards 19 consecutive times as well.
Federer seeming had no weaknesses, strong on all surfaces with a game so compete that he gave the impression that he could have competed in any era, his performances ensuring that he will be remembered as the most beloved men’s player in the history of the game, provoking feelings of universal admiration.
It’s a far cry from the reputation the Swiss garnered in his early years, known for his petulance that saw him throwing racquets and tantrums that even saw him get thrown out of practice sessions and threatened to derail his career before it had even begun.
Federer’s transformation into a charming and even-tempered champion is rooted in his ambition to be the best and serves as a case study for aspiring athletes and sponsors about the role and responsibility that comes with sporting fame.
Mindful of how short a sporting career generally is, there was a time when Federer did not have an agent, using a small network of family and friends who agreed a relatively modest $1m deal with Nike while he focused on honing his playing skills.
But it takes more than just talent to earn the $1bn Federer has secured through lucrative exhibition events and a careful portfolio of commercial collaborations that have included Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, Moët & Chandon and Lindt chocolates and saw Nike increase his fee to more than $10 million per year.
Few other athletes could secure a 10-year apparel deal with Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo worth $30 million per year even after Federer retires from serious competition.
Undoubtedly, Federer has mastered the balance between performance and partnerships, his likeable persona certainly not an act put on for the cameras.
Calacus has had the pleasure of working with Federer with Laureus and Gillette over the years and can attest to the charm and kindness that has served him so well.
New York Times journalist Christopher Carey, who has written a book about Federer, has seen at first-hand how the Swiss has built such strong relationships which makes him the perfect brand ambassador.
He explained: “It is…his knack for delivering personalized service with sponsors — that Federer’s performance has been especially remarkable. Even in his early years, he would endeavour to visit all 20 of the sponsor suites at the Swiss Indoors to meet and greet. He has stuck with that philosophy.”
Federer goes above and beyond at corporate events as agent Max Eisenbud, who knows Federer through agency IMG, explained: “He’s just so good if you’ve seen him with sponsors, with CEOs. He just has the ability to make you feel like he really cares what you are saying and he has time for you.
“He’s never rushing you. If you’re a fan at a hundred-person event that one of his sponsors puts on and you are talking to him, he makes you feel he has all the time in the world to talk to you and hear what you have to say. I think it’s genuine, and I’ve never seen another athlete like that.”
There are countless stories of him making a real effort to liaise with staff, even participating as a cashier at the Nike cafeteria and going around meeting everyone who’d stopped by for refreshments.
Beyond endorsements, Federer’s philanthropic focus has seen his Foundation supporting children in his native Switzerland and southern Africa, birthplace of his mother, since the start of his career.
Nearly two million underprivileged children and their families have taken part in its educational programmes, which aim to act as a springboard for a better future.
“I think once we intervene and we help the people, it’s that once we leave, they are sustainable by themselves,” Federer said in 2017.
“I love empowerment. Making somebody a stronger person and then that person being able to do it on their own is a wonderful thing. A little push can really do wonders and we’re going to keep doing that for years to come."
Federer clearly understands that his media image is also important, and made time for questioning after every match and he once said in a BBC interview: “Be yourself, be authentic, don't get carried away.”
Former player and BBC presenter, Sue Barker said of Federer: "He plays the most beautiful tennis, he's incredible role model and he's wonderful with the press. If you wanted to have a blueprint for the perfect player, he is it and we will really miss him.”
When Federer announced his retirement, he said: “To the game of tennis, I love you and will never leave you,” and millions of fans will feel the same way about him.
MISS – SPANISH FOOTBALL FEDERATION (RFEF)
After the huge success of Euro 2022, women’s football is the rise and the record-shattering event is now attracting sponsors and broadcasters in a way it has never done before.
One of the favourites, Spain lost star player, and current Ballon D’or holder Alexia Putellas before the tournament began, limping out to the eventual champions England in the Quarter-Finals, despite initially going ahead.
Pressure was already mounting on current manager Jorge Vilda after the lacklustre Euro campaign with murmurs of dissatisfaction in the squad.
These mumblings were proved right when the team was plunged into crisis when 15 players declared themselves unavailable for selection for as long as Vilda remained in charge.
Each of the players wrote to the Spanish Federation (RFEF) insisting that the situation with the coach, who they had failed to have removed at the end of August, has affected their health and emotional state and that they do not intend to return until a solution is found.
Six Barcelona players were among those who sent emails, as were Manchester United players Ona Batlle and Lucía García, and Manchester City players Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi. Captain Irene Paredes and Putellas were not among them, but injury meant the latter was already unavailable for the upcoming games in October.
Ahead of their match against USA, star forward Megan Rapinoe issued her support for the unsettled Spain players in an Instagram post: "You've got a 16th standing with you in the United States. This many players together like this is so powerful. We should all listen."
The Spanish Federation responded with a strongly worded statement and said: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation communicates that, throughout today, it has received 15 emails from 15 players of the women's senior football team, coincidentally all with the same wording, in which they state that the current situation generated It affects “significantly” their “emotional state” and their “health” and that, “as long as it is not reversed”, they resign from the Spanish national team.
“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers.
“The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of manoeuvres are far from exemplary and outside the values of football and sport and are harmful.
“In accordance with current Spanish legislation, not attending a national team call is classified as a very serious infraction and can carry sanctions of between two and five years of disqualification.
“The RFEF, contrary to the way these players act, wants to make it clear that it will not take them to this extreme or pressure them. Directly, it will not summon the soccer players who do not want to wear the Spain shirt. The Federation will only have committed footballers even if they have to play with youth.
“This fact has gone from being a sporting issue to a dignity issue. The selection is non-negotiable. It is an unprecedented situation in the history of football, both male and female, in Spain and worldwide.
“The national team needs players committed to the project, defending our colours and proud to wear the Spain shirt.
“The players who have submitted their resignation will only return to the discipline of the national team in the future if they accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness.”
The fact that Vilda is the son of Angel Vilda, the current Head of the Women’s Department in the Spanish Federation may have had something to do with the RFEF’s firm stance.
President Luis Rubiales is also known for being a hardliner and is often at odds with other football officials in Spain. Not long after taking over the Presidency, he fired men's national team coach Julen Lopetegui just a few days before the 2018 World Cup because the coach took a job with Real Madrid without telling Federation officials in advance.
So, it is hardly a surprise that tensions within the national team set up are at boiling point yet again.
To add to the confusion, the female players said they had “never asked for the dismissal of the coach”, adding “that our job is not in any case to choose” the position.
The group stressed disappointment and added: “The RFEF has made public, in a partial and interested way, a private communication with information that affects our health. In no case have we resigned from the Spanish team as the RFEF points out in their official statement.
“As we said in our private communication, we have maintained, continue to maintain and will continue to maintain an unquestionable commitment to the Spanish national team.
“That is why we request in our communication sent to the RFEF not to be called up until situations that affect our emotional and personal state, our performance and, consequently, the results of the team and that could derive in undesirable injuries. These would be the reasons that lead us to make this decision.
“We want a firm commitment to a professional project in which all aspects are taken care of to get the best performance from a group of players with whom we believe that more and better goals can be achieved.
“We wish the best for the RFEF, for the women’s national team and for us in particular, without entering into public wars. From our ambition as players, fighters and winners, we just want to be able to achieve maximum professional and personal success again.
“Last but not least we will not tolerate the infantilising tone with which the RFEF concludes its statement.
“We regret that in the context of women’s sport we have to go to this extreme, as has unfortunately happened in other national teams and other sports historically at a global level, in order to advance in a powerful and ambitious professional project for the present and for future generations.”
Spain's all-time women's top scorer, Jenni Hermoso, also expressed her sadness about the situation.
"The reality is that I haven't slept for days, thinking of solutions and looking for explanations to the emptiness so great that I feel inside of me," Hermoso said in a statement posted on Twitter. "And it is that, after all that we have worked for, that breaks my heart to recognize that we are experiencing the worst moments in the history of women's football in Spain.
"I want to publicly express my support for all my colleagues who a few days ago decided to communicate their position. Not only do I understand your reasons, but I have also experienced many of the feelings and concerns you have communicated."
"It is important to understand that the situation we are experiencing does not come overnight," Hermoso said. "It is evident that it is the consequence of a cluster of events, behaviours, decisions, failed attempts and exhaustion from trying to make the player's voice heard."
When Vilda announced his squad for Sweden and the USA, he omitted the 15 international rebels and vowed to carry on.
He said: “When I read their statement I felt confused because I don’t really know what they are demanding: I would have liked them to have spoken clearly.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. The lack of clarity in the players’ messages, both here and in their statements has allowed for doubts. That has opened up the idea that there must be something non-sporting in all this – and that’s normal because none of this makes sense if that’s not the case.
“I call on all those players that I have ever worked with – the captains have said the treatment has been exquisite – to come out and say there was ever a lack of respect or with any complaint about my behaviour in my entire career. People have made accusations and then hidden.
“At no point did I consider resigning. Because it is unjust, because of everything we have done in the past, everything we have done now and everything that is to come. I have been working for this for years; we were trying to build a national team we could be proud of.
“I am hurt, deeply hurt. It is unjust, we do not deserve it, Spanish football does not deserve it. The greatest pain I feel is because of everything that we have done, the damage done to women’s football.
“And then because of interests, we have this mess. It’s not good for anyone it’s a ridiculo mundial [a farce that goes round the world]. We could feel proud of our national team and then this happens. My solution is to look ahead and I don’t see any other solution than these players I have chosen.
“I have to choose players who are committed to the national team and are convinced of our work and methods. This comes up, I don’t think it’s right and I don’t think it’s fair.”
This situation feels all too familiar for many connected with women’s football in Spain.
In 2015, the players ousted manager Ignacio Quereda, after they accused him of abuse and homophobia in a documentary, ‘Breaking the Silence’.
In the film, then captain Verónica Boquete and others revealed extraordinary details about an alleged culture of rampant fear, bigotry, sexism and homophobia that Quereda created over 27 years as national team head coach – as well as suspected indifference from the Spanish federation about Quereda’s behaviour.
These problems faced at national team level have the backdrop of all the issues that Spain’s domestic league, Liga F, has been facing.
In the build-up to the new season, transfers like Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze to Barcelona and Caroline Weir to Real Madrid created hype for the campaign.
But the season was delayed after league officials announced they were going on strike due to unequal pay and work environments with matches from the opening weekend getting postponed because no officials showed up.
Despite the strikes eventually being resolved, it isn’t a good look for the league or the Spanish FA to have to delay the start of a highly anticipated opening weekend.
Internal communication is vital for any organisation, so this dispute becoming public is far from ideal.
It remains to be seen how the national team fare against world champions USA next month but with the World Cup only a few months away, this scandal couldn’t be worse timing.