The beautiful game? You're having a laugh!

Debate about football

Money, violence, hate, cheating: that is the face of modern football. Once the so called “beautiful game” represented something precious and important about English identity. Football clubs were part of the fabric of local community; football players felt genuine loyalty to their clubs. And in the spirit of the traditional game, neither players nor fans tolerated diving or other forms of cheating as a legitimate tactic. But from a mixture of greed and appalling incompetence, the British football authorities have encouraged foreign oligarchs to take over the game – and this, say the traditionalists, has destroyed all that was valuable in the national game. Teams consist of foreign mercenaries; cheating is an essential component of the footballer’s repertoire of skills; successful clubs are no more than global brands. But are the traditionalists right? Haven’t mercenary values and unsporting tactics always been part of the spirit of English football? Isn’t the truth rather that the foreign fortunes poured into our football and the foreign players they have attracted have made the game infinitely more exciting, skilful and pleasurable to watch?

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