The 39th Game - Losing Our Religion?
The ‘39th game’ idea from the Premier League that has caused such flames of animosity is still flickering at the moment, but it seems as though Richard Scudamore’s vision is not shared by many, and seems doomed to be extinguished.
Key countries and continents have pulled out, Asia in particular voicing their strong opposition to the plans. Their football confederation president says the proposal is putting financial gain before dignity and responsibility. Stern words, and he is not alone. Saudi Arabia have said they wouldn’t mind a game or two- but only if Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal were involved. Don’t fancy Bolton- Wigan then?!
Unfortunately, as a friend of mine pointed out, the Premier League is, and always will be, a business. Just as the Cadbury’s factory in Keynsham, Bristol is set to close and move across to Poland in search of greater profit margins, the Premier League is also trying to maximise their income, irrespective of emotion and historically engrained local ties.
However, with football being such an emotive subject, and in many ways, very different from other businesses, many believe it should be taken out of a business context. I wrote a very long and largely very boring dissertation at uni on stadiums, their meanings and their power in terms of what they can do to a variety of different people. One person I know holds his breath whenever he drives past his bitter rivals stadium! We could certainly be losing at lot of this attachment should the game go overseas.
Paul Ince has said he wouldn’t be opposed to the idea if the money made would trickle down to grass roots sport. Well the Premier League and it’s clubs already make a shed load of cash and yet parks are still frequented with poor changing facilities, broken glass and uneven surfaces. And Rotherham United are serving notice of going into administration for the 2nd time in as many years. Leeds, Luton and Bournemouth fans already know the feeling this season. So I can’t see how the Premier League making an extra wad of cash is going to help the plight we are in, when they have so much wealth anyway. The rich will continue to get richer, the poor will get poorer and in some cases, die.
What do you think? Feel free to leave a comment.
There is a petition, along with regular news bulletins on the facebook group ‘No to Game £39’ here is the link - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8509374162
Excellent article Rob.
I 100% agree with Paul Ince. More money will not make the slightest difference to the game below Premier League level
FA Rejects 39th Game Proposal - Read full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7254528.stm
Great points Rob about the potential this plan has to hurt the passion and the aura the Premier League has worked so hard to build up, both domestically and internationally, over the years.
Aside from the obvious reservations about this plan being so overtly interested in business and finance, the thing that concerns me the most, and an aspect that doesn’t seem to be mentioned as often as I’d have expected, is how unfair it would make the league in a competitive sense.
For as long as any of us can remember, the governing bodies of football have sought to ensure that the game is played as fairly as possible for all involved. A 39th game, as we’re all aware, would mean a massive step backwards in terms of making the Premier League ‘fair’:
- Let’s say Arsenal and Man Utd are vying for the top spot in the league. If the 39th game sees Arsenal playing Chelsea while Man Utd get drawn versus Derby, there is a huge advantage to Man Utd. This is so blatantly a corruption of EVERY football league system invented that I personally cannot believe with this in mind the 39th game was ever considered.
- Being drawn to play in a far away location like Dubai or Melbourne would be a disadvantage compared to being drawn to play in Paris.
- Further to that, Manchester Utd would be relatively happy to play in many of the suggested locations due to the fact they have such a massive international worldwide support - the same goes for Liverpool. For these two teams particularly, and the other big teams to a lesser but still considerable extent, playing in foreign cities would be a lot more like a home fixture due to the great fan support than lesser-supported teams could ever hope to enjoy.
For these reasons, I don’t think the 39th game plan should ever have gotten off the ground, should never have got anywhere near the public domain. The very fact that these plans have still been discussed, despite the massive unfairness it would introduce in a league so proud to be competitive, is, to me, further proof that this is not a football proposal at all, it’s a business proposal made by those who don’t understand the game.
Thanks for your comments Matt, much appreciated. I certainly agree with what you say, the concept has so many flaws to it, it’s difficult to know where to begin!
It’s easy to become overly romantic with a subject like this, as it makes people think about what domestic football was founded on. But when something as offensive as this comes up, I think people- especially regular supporters- should say what they feel.
As you point out, it does seem to be business men who are very much governed by capitalist ideas and not sporting ones. Which is why, when I heard a recent interview with Richard Scudamore on Radio 5 Live, I found it strange how he was at pains to point out how he is a big Bristol City fan and is passionate about his local team, putting it above the national side. You would have thought, with such a grounding, he wouldn’t want to implement such a ludicrous idea that will only continue to favour the sacred ‘top 4′!