For the Love of God / Damian Hearst

The privilege of hosting the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in 2010. The FIFA regime of Blatter and Platini was always mired in allegations of corruption. They did what they did. Maybe they got lots of diamonds. Maybe they handed them out.

At the Euros in 2021 Wembley boasted a UEFA VIP fast lane to launder the executives into their hospitality boxes. Thats why UEFA likes Wembley – all those little boxes. It is what is. A nasty rash of grabbing everywhere you look.

Anyway so now the game must continue with the greatest football tournament held in a country built on sand. It is what it is.

Football in England carries on. These are Southend United fans at an away game in the middle of the week. The fifth tier of the professional game in our green and pleasant land.

On Saturday their opposition was Dorking Wanderers – a mere ten years away from winning their small town league. Six and half thousand fans were at the game.

In the Far Post bar at the Southends famous Roots Hall Darren was frustrated by the mealy mouthed politicking of TV pundits before they duly headed off on their first class flights, to their expensed hotels and swanky media seats in brand new World Cup stadiums. They too get a few diamonds.

Our game, our football was never like this. Ours is jumpers for goal posts, muddy pitches on Sunday mornings, playing with your friends, representing your community, or school or church or town.

Our game is driven into our hearts by long days when kicking a ball was the only consolation there was – when times were difficult. Or celebration when times were good.

Sure we have our gilded heroes playing for our shirt but they don’t need the diamonds. Banks. Cohen, Wilson, Moore, Charlton, Stiles, Charlton, Ball, Peters, Hurst, Hunt won the World Cup for not much money but for a lifetimes glory.

If football is coming home it cannot be for the diamonds.

Come on, England.