Sorry, We Need To Talk About Fabrizio Romano

Summary

The video script discusses the rise of Fabrizio Romano, a prominent football journalist known for his transfer news coverage. It delves into Romano's journey from a teenage blogger to a social media sensation with millions of followers. However, the script also criticizes Romano's one-sided reporting on Mason Greenwood, a player accused of serious allegations, suggesting a potential lack of journalistic integrity and raising questions about the influence of public interest and personal motives in football journalism.

Takeaways

• 😀 Fabrizio Romano is a well-known and trusted football journalist, particularly for his transfer news coverage.
• 👑 Known as 'the king of the transfer window,' Romano has a massive following on social media, exceeding many football clubs and players.
• 📢 Romano's career took off when he started his blog at 18 and later scored significant scoops, including player transfers, which boosted his reputation.
• 🔍 Romano has been criticized for his extensive and one-sided coverage of Mason Greenwood, especially considering the player's controversial background.
• 🤔 The video raises questions about Romano's journalistic integrity, suggesting a possible lack of critical commentary on certain players.
• 💬 Romano has been accused of not crediting other journalists for their work, capitalizing on their stories to gain engagement on social media.
• 💰 The script discusses the influence of the 'attention economy' on Romano's rise to fame and the role of brand deals in his career.
• 📝 The video script implies that Romano's early success was partly due to a quid pro quo relationship with an agent, setting a precedent for his modus operandi.
• 🤝 Romano's growth is attributed to his ability to understand and adapt to the public's appetite for transfer news and social media trends.
• 📉 Some critics argue that transfer journalists like Romano have taken some of the excitement out of the transfer market by over-reporting on deals.
• 🎯 The video concludes by emphasizing the murky nature of football journalism and the potential for conflicts of interest in the industry.

Q & A

Who is Fabrizio Romano and what is his significance in the world of football journalism?

Fabrizio Romano is a renowned football journalist known as the 'king of the transfer window.' He has gained a massive following and is considered one of the most trusted sources for transfer news, starting his career at the age of 18 with his own blog and eventually breaking significant transfer news stories.

What was the first significant news story Fabrizio Romano broke?

Romano's first significant news story was about the transfer of Maro Accardi to Sdor, which was a relatively minor story at the time, but it marked the beginning of his career in breaking transfer news.

How did Romano's career take off after his initial break?

Romano's career took off when he landed a job at Sky Sports Italia and was mentored by veteran transfer journalist Jan Luca deao. He worked tirelessly to build contacts and eventually broke the news of Accardi's move to Inter Milan, which was a much bigger story.

What role did social media play in Fabrizio Romano's rise to fame?

Social media played a crucial role in Romano's rise to fame. With nearly 90 million followers across platforms, his coverage of high-profile transfers, such as Paul Pogba's return to Manchester United and Bruno Fernandez's signing, elevated him to a level of stardom online, exceeding any football journalist before him.

What is Fabrizio Romano's catchphrase, and how has it become iconic in world football?

Fabrizio Romano's catchphrase is 'Here we go,' which has become iconic in world football. It is frequently invoked by clubs, players, and fans alike to announce that an exciting deal has been completed.

What controversy surrounds Fabrizio Romano's coverage of Mason Greenwood's transfer to Marseilles?

The controversy lies in Romano's one-sided and highly editorialized coverage of Greenwood's transfer, without mentioning the player's past accusations and the subsequent dropping of charges due to the withdrawal of a key witness, which some argue should be part of the public interest when reporting on such a controversial figure.

Why has Fabrizio Romano been criticized for his coverage of Mason Greenwood?

Romano has been criticized for his uncritical and disproportionate coverage of Greenwood, including tweeting about him frequently and quoting sources praising the player without providing any context regarding the controversy surrounding him.

What is the significance of the Danish journalist's allegations about Fabrizio Romano's company offering publicity for payment?

The allegations suggest that clubs can buy publicity from Romano's company by paying a fee, which raises questions about the integrity and objectivity of the coverage provided by Romano to his large following on social media.

How does the video script suggest the relationship between football agents and journalists like Fabrizio Romano?

The script suggests that there can be a quid pro quo relationship between football agents and journalists, where agents provide exclusive information to journalists in exchange for favorable coverage of their clients.

What criticism do some other journalists have against Fabrizio Romano?

Some journalists accuse Romano of not properly crediting their work, suggesting that he takes stories they have covered and presents them as his own, benefiting from his larger following.

How has Fabrizio Romano's approach to social media contributed to his success?

Romano's success can be attributed to his ability to read the public mood and adapt to it. He shifted from personal Instagram posts to transfer news and expanded his reach beyond Italian football by writing and speaking in English, capitalizing on the explosion of social media and the attention economy.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Fabrizio Romano's Rise to Fame

Fabrizio Romano, at 31, has become a trusted and influential figure in football journalism. Starting as a blogger at 18, Romano broke into the scene with exclusives on player transfers, notably involving Gerard Deulofeu and Marco Accardi. His work at Sky Sports Italia under the mentorship of Jan Luca deago expanded his network. Romano's global recognition grew with his freelance work for The Guardian, particularly his coverage of Paul Pogba's return to Manchester United and Bruno Fernandez's signing. With nearly 90 million followers, Romano's catchphrase 'Here we go' has become iconic in football, often used to confirm deal completions.

05:01

🤔 Questioning Romano's Coverage of Mason Greenwood

The script discusses concerns about Romano's extensive coverage of Mason Greenwood, especially given the player's controversial background involving assault allegations. Romano has tweeted about Greenwood frequently, often without critical commentary, which raises questions about editorial bias or the influence of public interest. The video script suggests that Romano's focus on Greenwood may be driven by audience engagement rather than a balanced journalistic approach.

10:01

🔊 The Impact of Romano's One-Sided Reporting

This paragraph delves into the implications of Romano's one-sided coverage of Greenwood, highlighting the lack of context regarding the player's past legal issues. It criticizes Romano for amplifying positive comments about Greenwood from figures like Marseille's coach Roberto de Zerbi, without addressing the controversy surrounding the player's signing. The script suggests that Romano's reporting may be more about generating engagement than providing comprehensive news.

15:02

🤝 The Murky World of Football Journalism

The script explores the unspoken rules of football journalism, where relationships between journalists, agents, and clubs can influence coverage. It suggests that Romano's initial break in the industry was through a mutually beneficial relationship with an agent. The paragraph implies that such relationships might continue to play a role in Romano's work, hinting at the possibility of undisclosed agreements for favorable coverage.

20:02

📉 The Changing Landscape of Football News

This paragraph discusses the evolution of football journalism, with a focus on the role of social media and the 'attention economy.' It acknowledges Romano's ability to adapt to these changes and capitalize on the public's appetite for real-time updates. The script also addresses criticisms that Romano may not always credit the original sources of stories, instead presenting them as his own scoops to his large following.

25:02

🎥 Romano's Brand Deals and Public Perception

The final paragraph touches on Romano's involvement in brand deals and advertising, suggesting a potential conflict of interest with his journalistic integrity. It also addresses the public's perception of Romano, particularly in light of his coverage of controversial figures like Mason Greenwood. The script concludes by reiterating the concerns about Romano's reporting methods and their implications for the integrity of football journalism.

Keywords

💡Fabrizio Romano

Fabrizio Romano is an Italian sports journalist who specializes in transfer news, particularly in football. He is known for his extensive following and trusted reputation within the football community. In the video, Romano's journey from a young blogger to a globally recognized figure in sports journalism is highlighted, emphasizing his influence and the controversies surrounding his reporting style.

💡Transfer Window

The transfer window is a period during which football clubs can transfer players into and out of their squads. Romano is dubbed 'the king of the transfer window' due to his expertise and prominence in reporting on player transfers. The video discusses Romano's significant role and impact during these periods, especially on social media.

💡Scalability

Scalability refers to the ability of a system, process, or entity to handle a growing amount of work. In the context of the video, Romano's work scalability is mentioned when discussing how covering stories beyond Italian football expanded his audience and influence, leading to a significant increase in his social media following.

💡Catchphrase

A catchphrase is a popular phrase or expression that is associated with a particular person or entity. Romano's catchphrase 'Here we go' has become iconic in world football, signaling the confirmation of a transfer deal. The video explains how this phrase has contributed to his brand and is frequently used by clubs, players, and fans.

💡Social Media

Social media platforms are used by Romano to disseminate transfer news and engage with his followers. The video emphasizes Romano's massive following on various social media platforms, which is a testament to his popularity and the effectiveness of his reporting strategy.

💡Mason Greenwood

Mason Greenwood is a professional football player who has been the subject of controversy due to off-field incidents. The video script discusses Romano's coverage of Greenwood, particularly focusing on his transfer to Marseille and subsequent debut, which has been criticized for lacking context and critique regarding the player's past.

💡Controversy

Controversy in this video refers to the disagreement or dispute surrounding certain topics, in this case, Romano's reporting style and the player Mason Greenwood. The video critiques Romano for his one-sided coverage and lack of critical commentary on the controversies related to Greenwood's past allegations.

💡Debate

Debate is a formal discussion on a particular topic in which different arguments are put forward for and against. The video mentions a debate within the football community regarding the signing of Greenwood by Marseille, highlighting the differing opinions and the public interest in the controversy.

💡Public Interest

Public interest refers to matters that affect the public as a whole and are of general concern. The video discusses whether Romano's coverage of Greenwood serves the public interest, questioning the balance between providing updates and offering critical context to the audience.

💡Transfer Rumors

Transfer rumors are speculative reports about potential player transfers between football clubs. Romano started his career by covering such rumors, and the video reflects on how this initial focus has evolved into a larger role in the football journalism landscape.

💡Journalistic Integrity

Journalistic integrity involves maintaining a standard of honesty, accuracy, and fairness in reporting. The video questions Romano's integrity by suggesting that his coverage of certain players, particularly Greenwood, may be influenced by factors other than objective reporting.

Highlights

Fabrizio Romano is known as the king of the transfer window and is one of the most followed and trusted football journalists globally.

Romano started his career at 18 by founding a blog covering transfer rumors.

He gained prominence by breaking the news of Maro Accardi's move to Sdor.

Romano's work was boosted by his mentor Jan Luca deao at Sky Sports Italia.

He expanded his reach by covering stories in English on the Guardian's platform.

Romano's coverage of Paul Pogba's return to Manchester United increased his visibility.

He has a massive social media following, exceeding any football journalist before him.

Romano's catchphrase 'Here we go' has become iconic in world football.

Despite his popularity, there are criticisms of Romano's one-sided coverage of certain players.

Romano's frequent tweets about Mason Greenwood have raised questions about his editorial stance.

There are allegations that Romano's company has offered clubs publicity for a fee.

Romano's growth is attributed to his understanding of the public mood and the social media landscape.

Some journalists accuse Romano of taking credit for their work by promoting it to his large following.

Romano has been involved in various brand deals, reflecting his growing audience and profile.

Critics argue that Romano's coverage takes some of the fun out of the transfer market by revealing deals too early.

The video discusses the ethical implications of Romano's coverage of players accused of serious crimes.

Transcripts

Fabrizio Romano is a phenomenon dubbed

the king of the transfer window at the

age of 31 Romano is one of the most

followed and trusted journalists in the

world it all started when Romano was

just 18 years old and he founded his own

blog covering transfer rumors his first

big scoop if you can call it that came

when an aspiring agent at Barcelona's

laazer Academy reached out to him and

asked him to write profiles about two

players that he hoped to represent

namely Gerard de F and Maro Accardi

Romano obliged and subsequently broke

the news of a Cardi's move to sdor it

wasn't exactly headline breaking news

aardi like Romano was just 18 years old

and was a youth team player who had

never played for Barcelona joining a

second tier team in Italy as a thank you

for Romano's contribution to his own

career though the same agent gave him

another scoop two years later which

allowed Romano to break the news of a

Cardi's move to Inter Milan this was a

much bigger story and for a young Romano

the touch paper had well and truly been

lit during the intervening period Romano

had landed a job at Sky Sports Italia

where veteran transfer journalist Jan

Luca deao had taken him under his wing

and become his mentor Romano worked

tirelessly to build up contacts at clubs

with agents and even with restaurants

and hotels that he knew were often

frequented by players and prospective

new signings but his explosion onto the

world stage was a combination of

accident and opportunism in 2015 Romano

landed a freelance role with the

guardian and began covering stories in

English on a consistent basis it was the

frequent updates on Paul pogba's return

to Manchester United in 2016 for a world

record fee that open Romano's eyes to

the scalability of his work if he

broadened his Horizons Beyond Italian

football and it was his coverage of

another Manchester United signing Bruno

Fernandez that elevated Romano to a

level of stardom online profile

exceeding any football journalist before

him at the time Romano was still only 26

years old Romano now has close to 90

million followers on social media and

probably more by the time that you're

watching this joing one of the B anual

periods of immense growth for brand

Romano otherwise known as a transfer

window Romano has more followers on

Twitter than Bayern Munich or Muhammad

Salah more followers on Instagram than

AC Milan or Kevin De bruyne more

followers on Facebook than Ajax

Newcastle United and Baio saaka combined

more followers on Tik Tok than either

Arsenal or Robert levendowski and most

incredibly of all he has more

subscribers right here on YouTube than

yours truly the hitc SS and Alfie pots

armmer YouTube channels combined I know

I can't believe it either all the while

Romano has managed to turn his

catchphrase here we go into one of the

most iconic in World football frequently

invoked by clubs players and fans alike

when an exciting deal has been done it

is a remarkable Journey from aspiring

teenage blogger to Global Sensation that

has made Romano a source of a and

inspiration you'd have to be a real rter

to have a bad word to say about him then

wouldn't

you I mean really what kind of person

would do something like that oh oh yeah

that's right here we go

a week or so ago I made a video about

why the 2024 summer transfer window has

felt so boring in which I made a

fleeting remark about not being very

fond of fabito Romano well I shouldn't

sugarcoat it what I actually described

him as is a repugnant and aoral ghoul

that's it Al don't sit on the fence tell

us what you really think to my surprise

what seemed like about half of the

comments on that 34 Minute long video

were just people asking why I'm not a

fan of fabito Romano I probably

shouldn't have been so surprised as I

outlined in the introduction Romano is

immensely popular both in terms of the

sheer size of his following but also in

terms of people being fond of him

himself he is a likable and personable

character he's got a good camera

presence and uh well he provides

reliable information about transfers

which for good or bad is highly valued

and much appreciated by a lot of

especially very online football fans he

was consider Ed not by me but he was

considered to be witty articulate

knowledgeable and so on and much

respected again not by me but I'm giving

the general impression anyway I thought

nothing of it I burn Bridges like a

retreating Army implementing a scorched

Earth policy on this channel but then

over the weekend Romano tweeted not once

not twice but three times about Mason

Greenwood's debut for Marseilles and I

thought nah sorry this bl's getting a

video it's not the first time it should

be said that Romano has tweeted about

Greenwood oh no far from it in fact

since the 8th of July

2024 so what in the last 6 weeks Romano

has tweeted about Greenwood brace

yourselves 25 times which you know is

quite a lot Elon Musk doesn't even tweet

the word concerning in response to a

post by a white supremacist that often

now I know what some of you will

probably be thinking and I want to be as

fair to Romano as possible his job is

covering transfers Mason Greenwood move

from Manchester United to Mars during

that time of course he's going to report

on it so what if he seem to report on

Greenwood's transfer Saga more than most

if you look up most notably and I

actually did this it took forever Joel

Felix and Victor osam men specifically

Romano has also tweeted about them an

awful lot over the last six or so weeks

so what's the problem well firstly

Romano doesn't just tweet about

Greenwood in relation to potential

transfers as was the case over the

weekend when he made his debut for

Marseilles secondly he actually quoted

Greenwood uncritically with zero

commentary when he wrongly claimed to

have been cleared of all charges when in

actual fact the case against him was

dropped due to the main witness

withdrawing her testimony and the crown

prosecution service being unable to

prosecute a case without that witness

which is a fairly significant

distinction and thirdly and most

conspicuously of all Romano's coverage

of Greenwood and others but we will just

stick with Greenwood for now is often

highly editorialized allow me to give

you some examples for a start there are

at least 10 examples of Romano tweeting

about Greenwood which has little or

nothing to do with transfers take this

tweet from September

2023 when Romano shared a video

captioned GFE fans welcoming Greenwood

now I had a little look and uh again

brace yourselves for this because you're

in for a shock I couldn't find Romano

ever having shared a video of any other

GFE players being unveiled in fact

outside of transfer news and managerial

or executive incomings and outgoings I

couldn't find a single tweet by Romano

about GFE that wasn't about Mason

Greenwood strange H there is a perfectly

innocent explanation for all of this of

of course Mason Greenwood is a former

England International who has been in

the news a lot in recent years and he

was on loan at GF from Manchester United

one of the biggest clubs with one of the

biggest fan bases and therefore among

the most interest in their players of

any club in the world it is just basic

supply and demand people want Greenwood

updates Romano is just the vehicle

through which they receive them he only

talks about Greenwood so often because

it is in the public interest seems

innocuous enough right except if Romano

is indeed providing a public service

which would seem to be the only

justification for giving Greenwood such

disproportionate coverage in airtime

surely it would also be in the public

interest for that coverage to come with

some context and critique I mean it's

one thing to site Greenwood having been

in the news a lot in recent years as a

justification for giving him

disproportionate coverage but why he has

been in the news so much in recent Years

also seems somewhat relevant here no for

any of you who are completely baffled by

what I'm talking about and have been

living under a rock for the last few

years with this being the first piece of

media that you have consumed since the

dawn of covid-19 in January 2022

Greenwood was accused of assault on

social media by his girlfriend these

accusations were accompanied with images

of Greenwood's girlfriend appearing

battered bruised and bleeding and audio

of her telling a man that she calls

Mason that she doesn't want to engage in

an intimate act with him and him telling

her that he doesn't care before

threatening her I am saying appears to

show and a man she calls Mason because

12 months after Greenwood was arrested

on suspicion of rape assault sexual

assaults and threats to kill the crown

prosecution service dropped all charges

against him citing the withdrawal of key

Witnesses for what it's worth as far as

I can tell at least neither Greenwood

nor his Representatives nor any of his

clubs have ever denied that the voice on

the audience was him I'm obviously not

going to share them here but I would

imagine most people are familiar with

them and my personal view is that it is

terrifying that anyone would look to

defend or make apologies for someone

having seen and heard them to be clear I

think there is absolutely nothing wrong

with a football journalist covering

Mason Greenwood's move to Marseilles

heck I've talked about it on this very

channel so that would be pretty

hypocritical of me and I think there are

plenty of interesting dignified and

worth ways in which to cover it that

actually are in the public interest for

example Greenwood's move to Marseilles

has unsurprisingly proven to be

extremely controversial in Marseilles

with many supporters having voiced their

disgusted his arrival along with the

mayor of Mars benoir payan a lifelong

Mars fan who made headlines when he

called on Marse president Pablo Longoria

not to sign Greenwood branding Greenwood

and I quote a disgrace that conflict

between those who consider Greenwood to

be beyond the pale and signing him a

moral Abomination and those who don't

care about his character any past

indiscretions what he's been accused of

and the evidence against him only

whether he can score goals and make

money for Marse that is genuinely in the

public interest I'm not expecting fabito

Romano to do any groundbreaking work or

investigative journalism on the ground

getting quotes from Mars sponsors fan

groups directors Ultras and owners on

what side they fall down on that's not

what he does but straightforwardly

reporting on something like payan's

opposition that was already within the

public domain or indeed just any

opposition the fact that the move may

have been remotely controversial or

unpopular with some people you know like

uh domestic violence Charities I hardly

think that that is too big of an ask

what is particularly strange about all

of this is the fact that even if you

consider Fabrizio Romano to be an aoral

pit of vity totally uninterested in the

concepts of right wrong or any semblance

of decency whatsoever which I do and you

think his primary concern is solely

likes shares and ultimately money which

uh I also do that wouldn't explain his

one-sided coverage of Greenwood a tweet

about the opposition to Greenwood

signing for Marseilles especially from a

figure as prominent as the mayor of the

second largest city in France I am

almost certain would gain a fair amount

of traction greater traction I would

imagine then a video of Greenwood

walking from the airport to his private

transport in Marseilles captioned by

Romano Mason Greenwood has just landed

in Marseilles plan confirmed I mean I

can't be sure of course but that would

be my suspicion or how about Romano

tweeting not once not twice but three

times about Greenwood's debut away at

breast a game which commanded

International attention of course

speaking about him in glowing terms

Romano's first tweet read quote first

goal as Olympic marsel player just 3

minutes into the game for Mason

Greenwood accompanied by a photograph

seemingly of Greenwood in training his

second tweet red quote Mason Greenwood

makes it two in 30 minutes excellent

debut as olyp Marse new player end quote

and his third in which he quoted marse's

head coach Roberto daeri read quote

deseri Mason Greenwood is just

exceptional he's an excellent player and

you can see that I'm happy to see him

scoring so it will all the controversy

in the media end quote right uh let's

just unpack all of that shall we firstly

Greenwood scored a goal nothing to do

with transfers Romano tweeted about it

bit odd but he does do that very

occasionally he tweeted that amadu Anana

had scored on his Aston Villa debut

which you know anano has never been

credibly accused of heinous crime so

slightly different but for the sake of

steelmanning Romano we just let that

first one slide his second tweet and he

didn't tweet twice let alone three times

about anyone else's debut on Saturday

afternoon not even one mention of Center

back voldman Anton scoring and keeping a

clean sheet on his debut for brucia

Dortmund oddly enough his second tweet

added some editorializing heaping Praise

on Greenwood and describing it as a

quote excellent debut how very kind and

last but not least there is the dii

quote to be clear

this isn't the first time that Romano

has just uncritically quoted deser on

Greenwood back in July he Amplified

these incredibly dignified comments by

the Zerby which read quote for sure

Mason's a worldclass player I don't know

his background no matter the player once

they sign here they become like my

children I protect them always end

quote Stay classy Roberto at least that

time the quote made grammatical and

syntactical if not moral sense this time

Romano again very happily and

uncritically quotes deeri as saying

quote Mason Greenwood is just

exceptional he's an excellent player and

you can see that I'm happy to see him

scoring so it will all the controversy

in the media end quote huh so it will

all the controversy in the media it will

what Roberto make people forget the

video and audio that they saw with their

own lying eyes and ears make people

Overlook that three of Mars's front 4

have either been convicted for their

role in a deadly driving accident

accused of rape or accused of beating

women and pressuring secondary school

girls to perform lud acts in front of

them or just make people forget that

you're a gutless and Shameless coward be

clear Roberto we don't know what you

mean otherwise how are fabrizio's 87

million followers going to know what

you're talking about at least we've

established I suppose that Fabrizio is

capable of uncritically quoting someone

without any commentary just in case you

thought me suggesting that he could have

done the same with the mayor of

Marsailles in relation to Greenwood's

transfer was beyond his capabilities so

uh it's all a little bit strange I think

Romano's primary motive is engagement

and the revenue that a company's

engagement but it seems as though with

some players as in the case of Greenwood

it goes a little bit beyond that now

just to be absolutely clear because I

wouldn't want there to be any ambiguity

surrounding this whatsoever I am not

suggesting that Romano has ever received

any payment in exchange for anything

that he has written or talked about on

social media I am not claiming or even

remotely suggesting that Denmark's

oldest football magazine tips bladet are

and claim to have been shown

documentation proving it but I am

absolutely not no I have no evidence to

suggest that is the case but what I will

do and I'm sure fabito would approve of

me doing it because it is one of his

favorite pastimes is just uncritically

quote someone else according to the

Danish journalist throlls B enson

writing in tips blad it and translated

into English quote clubs can buy

publicity tips bladet has seen

documentation of how the company behind

for Brito Romano has contacted clubs

also Danish with an offer that they can

buy mention on the Italian social media

the clubs can pay a shilling and then

Fabrizio Romano provides publicity for

the club and player to his more than 20

million followers on X and 27 million

followers on Instagram end quote not my

words ladies and gentlemen the words of

throlls B enson what do I make of it all

well farbe it from me to say really I'm

just sharing it with you all hey as my

old mate fabito always says don't shoot

the messenger just because I'm sharing

something with you quoted directly and

have added zero cont text or criticism

does not mean that I support it or

endorse it in any way shape or form

isn't that right for Brito in all

seriousness I genuinely don't know

whether those allegations are true but

what I do know is that football is a

murky business and much as we might like

to think of it as being one of the

world's last great meritocracies and in

some ways it is in the sense that talent

and hard work are key determinants of

success you can't just Wing your way to

winning a Balon door in other ways much

like in other Industries sometimes it's

not just about what you know but who you

know Romano's first breakthrough was

writing a profile about two youth team

players on behalf of an aspiring agent

in exchange for a scoop and subsequently

a much bigger scoop two years later in

other words it was a titp fortat

relationship of the kind that are almost

ubiquitous in football journalism and in

the media as a whole just as in politics

politicians will leak information and

gossip to the media particularly to

Lobby journalists here in the United

Kingdom in exchange for more favorable

coverage about themselves their party or

more negative coverage of their

political opponents footballers and

particularly football agents are really

no different agents feed their allies in

the Press leaks gossip and exclusive or

early information and in exchange they

might expect let's just say some

favorable coverage of one or more of

their clients so I'm Dave bottom FEI an

agent who works on behalf of the total

mercenaries and unashamed greed

Incorporated talent agency and I want it

to be out in the press that my

18-year-old client Bobby wvic is looking

to leave porchester athletic and sign

for oil Rich dictatorship FC so I feed

my friend Mark MC scumbag who works as a

journalist for the racism and

transphobia times and has lots of

followers on social media a story about

a training ground bust up some manager

losing the dressing room or Danny MC

wats his face being left out of the

squad at the weekend and in return he

writes about how Bobby want out ofic is

the best thing since slice bread the

rich s are all desperate to sign him and

he is actively exploring his options

away from Forester pushing it out to his

millions of readers and followers all of

a sudden every Rich seven clubs fans are

desperate for their team to sign Bobby

if they don't it shows a frightening

lack of ambition quite frankly and the

board has to go have have I watched him

yeah of course I've watched him he

completed three successful jewels on

Tuesday night in an under 21 behind

closed doors friendly against Damo never

heard of them again just to be clear I'm

not suggesting that Fabrizio Romano is

Mark M scumbag in this analogy Mark

mumbach is his own man with his own

sources and is not to be confused with

anyone else put some respect on Mark's

name please for crying out loud honestly

if he just picked a better catchphrase

back in 201 16 then here we commence

he'd be the one with 90 million

followers by now no I'm not suggesting

that Romano does anything like this I

have no idea but even if he did it would

be by no means exclusive to him but as

someone who is hyper reliant on contacts

leaks and early info more so than just

about anyone else in the business as

well as having the largest social media

presence among his peers it would be

surprising if he wasn't especially

impacted by such quidd Pro oo

Relationships by his own admission that

is how Romano got started in covering

transfers so it would seem odd if he had

stopped there I spoke in that previous

video about how not just Romano even if

he is the most prominent example but

transfer journalists as a whole are

often perceived as having taken some of

the fun out of the transfer market by

providing constant commentary on every

deal meaning that by the time they are

officially announced everyone is either

already well aware of them if not

actively Bor of caring about it gone of

the days by and large of Arsenal calling

a press conference and sending the world

of football into a meltdown when they

unveiled S Campbell signed on a free

transfer from their bitter Rivals

Tottenham when the entire press pack had

just been expecting them to announce the

signing of goalkeeper Richard Wright I

agree with that criticism but as I said

at the time I don't blame journalists

like Fabrizio Romano or his PE I blame

the insatiable appetite of chronically

online football fans myself included

when I was a bit younger at least for

the newest updates every second of every

minute of every hour of every day

throughout the entire transfer window

and Beyond in that sense Romano is just

serving a very real public appetite as a

big fish within a broader ecosystem for

which I don't really think you can hold

him personally responsible if anything

Romano's greatest strength has just been

to read the public mood and then shift

with it he has said himself it was when

people started commenting on his

personal Instagram photographs that he

quit sharing photographs about himself

and started using it as a platform to

talk about transfers it was when he saw

a rise in traffic covering English clubs

that he realized that there was a bigger

market for him if he expanded his reach

Beyond Italian football and wrote and

spoke in English instead and it is the

explosion in social media and the

attention economy that has turned him

into a superstar with Romano just

getting swept up in the wave by becoming

very good at understanding how it works

there are other journalists and this

isn't private information I am referring

solely to those who have publicly add

their grievances online who have accused

Romano of not properly crediting other

journalists for their work and therefore

basically taking the glory with his much

larger following for other people's hard

work you may even have seen Romano

sometimes be described as a tapin

merchant owing to the perception that he

takes stories that have already been

covered by other lesser known

journalists and boost them at the 11th

Hour as his own taking all of the credit

I have seen examples where I think this

is a fair assessment of what Romano was

done but also others where I think it's

probably a little bit harsh and

sometimes he does credit other

journalists I think it's pretty evident

that Romano works very hard does have

lots of reliable sources and contacts

and does get lots of Scoops which is

unsurprising especially now given the

size of his following he has also been

shrewed throughout his growth in in not

boosting stories as soon as he hears a

whisper about them from anyone and in

generally trying to be more accurate

than the kind of gossip and rumor

accounts and websites that dominated the

field when he started out I know because

around the same time when I was only 13

I started a transfer rumors and news

website of which there were hundreds if

not thousands at the time writing

largely nonsense transfer rumors that

I'd either heard from some Anonymous

accounts or just entirely made up are IP

www.fo rumors. kk5 dog gone but never

forgotten don't bother trying to look

that up by the way not only have all

traces of it been wiped from the

internet I checked but it also now

redirects you to some very viruslike

looking popup nonsense now if you want

to see my other work just follow the

Alfie Poots hmer YouTube channel where

there are already three out standing and

fascinating videos including me visiting

the world's biggest football stadium

Capac

250,000 following Georgia at their first

ever tournament Euro 2024 and pretty

soon there will be a fourth one of me

visiting the German city with the lowest

GDP per capita where I also visit a

theme park with a friend who's terrified

of rides yeah exactly you wouldn't want

to miss that would you where was I oh

yeah fa Brito Romano look I don't want

any of you thinking that I'm just mad

because I turned down a brand deal with

the Chinese Electronics manufacturer and

tournament sponsors high sense at the

2022 welcome in Qatar because well you

know I don't do brand deals let alone at

that tournament only for Guess Who

that's right good old Fab to pop up and

say here we go buy a new TV please high

sense really were only interested in

partnering with the biggest names in

World football I can only assume that I

was Port of Call number one Kaka second

and good old Fab third In fairness

fauzio is is a veteran Advertiser over

the years he's done brand deals with the

likes of scrill the Peter Crouch podcast

Beats headphones s is it pronounced SRA

I think so la Laver that is a Saudi

perfume company apparently Google pixel

opta Adidas Turkish Airlines and Pepsi

that was in order of alt to you by the

way with all due respect to the pizza

Crouch podcast the move to Google Adidas

and Pepsi is probably somewhat

representative of how rapidly Romano's

audience and profile has grown over a

short period of time Romano has also

advertised the online gambling company

Betson and the Bitcoin and altcoin

exchange platform Z crypto I mean of

course he has I am earing rumors of the

collaps in the value of tcoin wiping out

your investment as well as a serious

gambling addiction leading to the

breakdown of your work life

relationships and mental health here we

go that isn't real how he advertised

them it's a shame that I don't do

brandels to be honest I think I'd be

great at them nor am I annoyed it must

be said about him flagrantly trying to

steal my list of seven format back in

2021 nice try for barzio but there's

only room for one seven Bas listicle

content creator in this town no all of

that is water under the bridge I just

think that anyone sing over a guy who is

very credibly accused of doing truly

horrific things and basically whatever

the motive doing PR for them without any

mention whatsoever of the jet sized

elephant in the room is well at best

rather sus I tweeted this before making

this video and some people replied

saying that Romano couldn't possibly say

anything about the accusations against

Greenwood because he would get sued

firstly even if that were true it

wouldn't mandate him to be gushing in

his praise of him and secondly it isn't

true you can't say that Mason Greenwood

is X or did one as a matter of fact well

you can but you would be potentially

liable to some defamation or liable

claims because he hasn't been convicted

of anything I mean I highly doubt he

would sue because of the Optics and the

stries and effects public opinion etc

etc but you could theoretically which is

why I don't but you can say what

Greenwood was accused of what the

evidence that was widely publicized on

social media was and why the crown

prosecution service in their own words

dropped the case against against him I

mean I literally did it in this video

lots of people have done it it's not

very hard so uh yeah that's why I called

Fazio Romano a repugnant and aoral ghou

I am uh I'm happy to clear that up

cheers thank you all as for watching hit

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