Lies, Damn Lies, and Corruption

Continuing with my EPL Corruption theme this week, here is an article I wrote last year, on the 16th of July 2007.

Lies, damn lies, and corruption.

Championship Charlton Athletic

by simierskiUK 16 July 2007

I do not think the majority of the clubs in the football league or the championship are corrupt—although this is dependent upon whether or not we get to swap Bramall Lane for Upton Park as an away fixture.

I think that at the higher echelons of football in this country, there is a worrying precedent being set by the PL when it comes to player contracts, agent fees, and TV licensing money. I also feel wary of the way in which fixtures are decided on a whim, not taking into account, say, the journey times for Arsenal fans at home against Liverpool, and its fans for a 12:00 kickoff on a Saturday—and how it all seems to be designed (and perhaps this is key) around the top four clubs.

Sure, other teams try hard—applaud Spurs for their efforts last season—but even they would admit that the rub of the green was not exactly forthcoming in the Cup (when playing Chelsea—who, and let's be frank, were very poor and practically destined to fall over at every opportunity).

There was, for many years, the complaint that in order to win a penalty at Old Trafford, you'd have to be shot. 13 years, and not a single penalty against Manchester United. Suddenly with Chelsea on the scene, it's a similar thing at Stamford Bridge too, and at both Anfield and Ashburton Grove it seems difficult to gain any sort of advantage.

Now we see the league cup ties, and it is almost too much to bear for the lower league fans. Hardly any championship fixtures, and it almost looks designed to keep the championships in it until the 3rd round.

So there we have it. Football is a business now of course (forgive me for cynicism here), and does not have anything to do with the fans. Let me ask this:

What soul does the great game have left while accusations of bribery, cheating, and corruption hang over our leage and football association? What soul are we left with?

I'll leave that for you to decide.