Football has been slowly but surely ripped out of the grasp of fans over the last two decades. And it’s been allowed to happen. Fans have sat back and watched on. But the attempt to form a European Super League was the final straw; the wake-up call that football needed. And best believe, the Manchester United protest could only be the start.
There is many ways to make statement, but none more effective than forcing the biggest game in English football to be postponed. The protest, in the end, got out of hand, that’s unquestionable as fans quite literally took back their stadium. Yet, the message sent was the correct one.
That message being that the fans do have a voice, a voice louder than any amount of money. A message that defiantly said: This is a game for the fans. A game which thrives off competition and underdog victories. A game that can release every emotion, from pure adulation to the most heartbreaking of disappointments.
It should never be a game that is won by those with the highest bid. With any hope, that statement has been sent in the last two weeks.
Manchester United Protest Could Be Just the Start of Fan Uproar
What Next?
The only three questions that remain are, what next in the sporting world which is quickly turning sour in television soap-like fashion? Has the message been sent? Or will the fans once again be ignored as Florentino Perez does his best impression of a James Bond villain?
If fans can postpone the biggest game in English football, those who assume they are at the top of the football food chain should not test the limits of the power the fans possess. No matter what comes next, the last two weeks, and perhaps what could follow, will be forever cemented in football history, from Chelsea fans signalling the domino effect of the Super League’s fall to Manchester United fans taking over Old Trafford.
The fans have quite literally proved that without them, football is nothing. Without their support, the biggest game in English football failed to go ahead. Again, however, it is key to reiterate that the riot did get out of hand, damage was done to both property and people.
The message was correct; how that message was spread by the end, was not. Violence should never be the answer, but the owners of the so-called top six poked the hornets’ nest, and they have since predictably been stung.
Manchester United Protest Could Change English Football
The 50+1 rule has been talked about a lot in the last two weeks, and rightly so. It gives fans a voice from the bottom to the top- as seen in the Bundesliga. And, whilst we may not see this implemented in the Premier League, change could still be upon us.
Clubs could yet change hands, they could undergo restructure so that fans are heard and represented in the board room. The potential of a European Super League was a wake up call, but fans cannot close their eyes for another second quite yet.
The Manchester United protest sent a message. Now, that message must continue to be spread around English football until action is made so that football slowly becomes a game for the people once more.
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