They have lost the plot . The whole calamity is revealing the absolute drift away from the foundational values of football . It's no longer a sport, it's a product for the entertainment business .
For over a century spectators have found sanctuary from the chaos and unfairness of daily life by supporting a team. Trapsing along to stand on concrete steps in all weathers with a poor view to watch twenty two men skid , slide and suffer and somehow wrench beauty out of the dire conditions both players and fans tolerate .
For ninety minutes we could live in a world of clear rules and rapid decisions, with the tantalising possibility of ecstacy or devastation at any moment . Poor decisions happened , whether through human error or corruption , but the experience of ninety minutes of shared theatre, shared suffering was both bonding and enduring . Everyone understood the man in black was to be universally hated and noone questioned their authority . Humans are human after all . Pure theatre as an escape from the travails of real life
Television changed everything with "action replays" seeking truth but implying perfection in decision making in a game that lives and breathes dynamism and flow . Then we got monetisation, wall to wall coverage , pundits , post match interviews with irate managers, all undermining decisions that mere humans made in real time . Along comes social media with it's acid with and savvy creators and television has to double down on outrage and controversy and the TV audience lap it up . During this media war those of us who go to matches are forgotten and kept in the dark . We no longer matter. . The real action is elsewhere at home , in a pub or on the internet where social media creators memes go viral before the final whistle and one controversy has got more heft than anyone at the ground has any clue about .
For referees VAR was supposed to be the answer to this deluge of criticism . But by then the game had sold it's soul to television and it's need for daily outrage . These controversial decisions are cat nip for the media and the media controls every aspect of the game .
If it wanted to it could fund an analytical investigation into the data around VAR , penalties and disallowed goals , red cards and share this to calm things down . But we are living in an age of the entertainment wars , opinion and drama always winning over facts ....and in more important arenas than football . The handball rule adjustments in the last few years have the same tone as the cobbled together FFP / PSR chaos. Don't panic , Captain Mannering . It doesn't matter that no one understands them . In fact it creates more controversy and content . Job done .
All that said I will still keep going to matches , still chase the thrill of a sublime moment , still enjoy the camaraderie and banter. But my patience is wearing thin .
www.bbc.co.uk
