Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Football fanatic of the year nominees 3 and 4

There are some fans I have been waiting to nominate as Football Fanatics of the year for a while now.
Firstly, the owner of Chelsea Mr. Roman Abramovich. I do not know anything of his background - just that he is a Russia oil billionaire, with whatever that entails. What I do know however, is that Mr. Abramovich is a football fanatic of first class. I firmly believe that any football fanatic who had as much money as Mr. Abramovich, would spend them on buying a football team. Certainly I would... - and I would also spend millions and millions on getting the best coaches and players. In the end, I would be sitting on the stands, looking at my team win every week. What a dream!
Secondly, Manchester United fans. I have long admired them, as my experience with them is that you can have a few friendly pints of beer and talk about football with them, even when they are playing my team (something that seems utterly impossible for Arsenal fans to do). Recently, in spite of their futile efforts, they have resisted the takeover of their beloved club by American millionaire Mr. Malcolm Glazer. He is certainly not a football fanatic like Mr. Abramovich. While I am not completely aware of the football implications of this takeover, my instinctive scepticism of big business taking over the dominion of common man, makes me support the Manchester United fans who will suffer the pain of increased ticket prices, as well as a team that will become part of a global business empire. Money rules almost everything, but certainly not the hearts of football fans. Manchester United fans have become a living proof of this.

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