The one thing most of us lack , as supporters of one of the world’s biggest teams, is power. Support a little club and you might well be able to chat to the board members. You might even be able to influence the Trust that runs the club.
But with clubs like Arsenal you have no chance.
Of course at this moment most Arsenal fans couldn’t give a toss about influencing the club too much – we’ve got M Wenger – what else do you want in life?
But still, the issue of playing abroad is unsettling, and it has given rise to the first significant uprising of supporter power in a long while. (And I do know about, and admire, the work of fans of Man U and Wimbledon who went off to form their own clubs – but neither really affected the clubs they left behind. I’m talking about having a real influence on a big club.)
The solution, proposed today, is to invert the concept of sponsorship. In this case it is in relationship to the EPL. Whoever sponsors the Premier League is now contemplating a sales fall rather than rise because of their involvement with the hated 39th game. That is power – real power. If the fans can make that happen then it will be fans that will take control – and what a turnaround that would be.
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