Anybody else need something to distract them from the mindblowing cliffhanger at the end of last night’s (April 18th, 2021) episode of BBC drama Line of Duty?
Don’t worry, the world of football has come swooping in with one of the most dividing announcements in modern-day history: the arrival of a European ‘Super League’ (ESL).
So far, 12 of the biggest football clubs from around Europe - including six from the United Kingdom alone - have signed up to be founding clubs in this upcoming tournament.
Amongst them are Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid have all also agreed to take part.
Not everybody has taken kindly to the news. FIFA expressed their "disapproval", while UEFA said that "the clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams.”
So, why would clubs ever agree to the ESL, knowing they could be waving goodbye to other opportunities in doing so? Money, money, money!
The project itself is financed by J.P. Morgan, but the clubs alone are intended to be the shareholders of the ESL.
One of the most explosive results of the ESL formation is the sacking of Tottenham Hotspur coach Jose Mourinho, who reportedly refused to take players onto the training ground because of their ESL admission.
Gary Neville was amongst those to level an attack at the English clubs who have joined the ESL, saying he was "disgusted" by their actions, calling them a "disgrace" and, calling for them to face sanctions from the Premier League.
Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Savage and Francis Benali MBE also let their feelings be heard:
Labour Party supporters pointed to their 2019 manifesto, spearheaded by Jeremy Corbyn, which promised to bring power away from the billionaires in football and instead divide it amongst the fans.
As Leader of the Opposition at the time, Corbyn said that he would make Premier League clubs invest in grassroots football, so that there was as equal an opportunity for everybody as possible.
Many laughed. Now look where we are.
Is it the end for the beautiful game? The very fact that #RIPFootball is trending on Twitter should be some indication to how the fans feel. Will the big clubs and their owners really care though, when billions of pounds is being exchanged for their cooperation? Highly doubtful.
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