It was fun watching the farce unfold this week, but the sad truth is that the armchair supporters are where the money is
I have very much enjoyed the farce of the European Super League’s announcement being swiftly followed by its collapse. I wish I had the urge to dance in joy with every other right-minded football fan, but I don’t, because this thing is far from over. The central idea behind the Super League was born a long time ago and it hasn’t died with the ignominy of this week’s pantomime. Sooner or later, in some form or other, it will be with us. The rich and famous clubs will get their wish to play only other rich and famous clubs. To stop them will require a cooperative, transnational legislative effort akin to that needed to stop multinational corporations dodging tax. And look how well that’s going.
There are clues in some of the heart-rending apologies issued by our “super” six clubs that they regard all this as unfinished business. Consider this from Arsenal: “When the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future.” Protect Arsenal from what exactly? Missing out on the lucre even if the whole project stank? This is corporate Fomo of the lowest order. Even better, the statement goes on to say that the intention was also “to support the game you love through greater solidarity and financial stability”. Really? I’ve yet to hear anyone explain how it would have been to the benefit of the wider game. Oh, hang on, here it is: “Stability is essential for the game to prosper and we will continue to strive to bring the security the game needs to move forward. The system needs to be fixed.”
