After Ian Ayre‘s comments about Liverpool FC monopolising the foreign TV rights, it also came out that foreign ownership could force there to be no relegation/promotion from the Premier League. This got my blood boiling to truly molten levels. It inspired my new sci-fi novel…enjoy!
The year is 2045 and I’m sitting with the grandkids at 7am for the live football. It was decided that everyone using GMT would have to get up at this God-forsaken hour just to accommodate the rest of the World’s need for live action! The 100-inch 4D TV blurts out in a strong American accent ‘Live from Dubai, Barcelona Bears vs Munich Monarchs! That’s right folks it’s day 4 of the Super Soccer League’ I look up to see my eldest grandson wearing a Munich jersey. I tut loudly in his direction.
‘What?’ he asks.
‘You do realise that Bayern Munich is German?’.
‘Not anymore you old fool’ he beams back.
The TV is showing the league table with only 8 teams still in existence. The London Lions are the only team left that I feel any sort of affiliation with. Especially since international football was cancelled because the players just ‘couldn’t be bovered’ anymore. Once every 4 years, the Lions come to London to play a game. There’s a lottery draw to decide which lucky 4000 non-corporate supporters can go.
‘You do realise we used to have a stadium just down the road don’t you’ I mention when the commentary cuts for yet another ad break.
‘Really grandad? Did the Madrid Matadors ever play there?’
‘erm no, we had our very own team called Southend United’
‘What a stupid name! Doesn’t have any threatening nouns in it’
I decide not to mention the shrimp association.
‘Back then of course the names just represented the geological location of the team. They also played 50% of their games at their own stadium!’
‘Wow, how on earth did we manage to get enough prawns in for all of those spectators?’
‘Back then we used to call them fans and prawn sandwiches weren’t high on the menu. Football was a working-class thing’.
The kids both look at me as if I’m completely mad. I continue regardless ‘you could buy a ticket watch some football and enjoy a burger, and a beer and still have enough for the bus fare home’. At this point, the ad break finishes and their attention is instantly pulled back to the large screen. The game kicks off and almost instantly there’s a challenge in the area that looks like a penalty. The game stops and the TV screen flashes ‘penalty?’. The two boys fight for the remote control to select their preferred outcome. Meanwhile, the channel cuts to another advert to give the general public time to decide on the penalty claim. I delicately place both barrels of the shotgun into my mouth and cock the hammer…
I know what you’re thinking ‘surely shotguns won’t exist that far in the future’ but it’s a working progress.
If we keep heading in this direction and allow foreign businessmen to have their way this bleak future will become a reality. You have been warned!