Arsenal are the latest club to give Socios Fan Token holders a say in kit matters, with a vote to decide whether they wear their away or third kit against Southampton on April 16th.
Arsenal Away vs Third Kit
The vote is interesting in a way, in that it will show which kit is preferred by the fans. Although due to the undemocratic nature of opening it only to Fan Token holders, the result won’t really be a reflection of the wider fanbase’s preference. Arsenal follow in the footsteps of AS Monaco who held a kit vote of a different kind to decide which vintage shirt would be remade next season.
AS Monaco to Remake 99-00 Kappa Kit
Should Socios Fan Tokens Have a Place in Football?
These types of votes, and Fan Tokens in general, have rightly attracted criticism. Fan Tokens can only be bought using the Chiliz cryptocurrency. Socios, the company which created them, and all of the clubs who signed up for the scheme are using the pretense of “supporting your club” to encourage people to take financial risks by investing in the unregulated market of crypto assets.
They say that the tokens are “a tool to engage with the club”, but surely fans should not have to pay to have their opinion taken into consideration by the club who claims to care about them.
There is also the weighting of the tokens, which means the more tokens you own, i.e. the more money you invest in Chiliz, the more say you have in decisions. For example, someone who buys 10 tokens has 10 votes. In this sense, supporters are led to believe that they are acting as shareholders in a way, with the main difference being that their investment only gives them the right to vote on trivial matters such as the choice of jersey in a particular match. Socios also say Fan Tokens give the opportunity to earn unspecified “real-life and digital club-related benefits and experiences”, one of the many vague pieces of information given on their website.
All of this sends the message that your opinion doesn’t matter unless you give the club money, and the more you give, the more you matter. Surely the supporters make enough financial contributions already when they purchase shirts and other official gear, as well as match tickets and tv packages?
“We’re nothing without our fans”, state Arsenal on their website, a common line from many football clubs. It seems that they forgot to add an apostrophe and the word “money” to the end of that sentence.
Would you prefer to see these kinds of votes open to all fans? Let us hear your thoughts below.