Jon Champion was on ESPN yesterday in conversation with colleague Taylor Twellman about the protest at Old Trafford when he was cut off by the network.
Twellman was giving his verdict on the protests and postponement, saying: “Here in the United States, everything we do in sports in franchised…"
At this point, Champion interrupted his colleague and stated his own view:
“Don’t mention that word, I hate that word. Because that has no place in our lexicon when we talk about European sports clubs.
“They’re clubs with beating hearts, not franchises. You have Manchester United, one of the Super League clubs… owned by the Glazer family who are widely despised as absentee owners.
“They bought the club by loading debt onto it. They don’t show any signs of care for it.
“And yet this is the thing which dominates the lives of so many of it’s followers, that’s why…", at which point Champion’s monologue was cut off, with the broadcast switching to an advert for an MLS fixture.
See Champion’s rant here:
https://mobile.twitter.com/ronmaral/status/1388917597144379394
Champion is absolutely right to raise the issue of the franchise model. It’s the American and Spanish club owners’ end-game, and it can’t be allowed to happen.
Their interest in football we know begins and ends with revenue and share price, and as such their end-game sees a franchise model in which the superclubs spend the season touring the world’s capitals playing trumped up exhibition matches to serve the global fanbase, and returning to the UK once a month or so to reluctantly play out fixtures at their ‘legacy grounds’.
Also:
Jamie Carragher: “This thing that #mufc fans have done today, I actually think it’s a good thing. Protesting about what’s not right at your football club — I’m behind that."
Roy Keane: “The United fans, we have to applaud them. They’ve had enough. That’s why they’ve reacted the way they have. I find it difficult to criticise them."
Gary Neville: “I think all football fans should unite today behind what United fans have done because what they [the Glazers] did two weeks ago was dangerous for English football.
“We must not forget that. They tried to walk away and create a closed-shop league that would have created a famine in this country for every other football club…
“The Glazer family two weeks ago tried to implement something that would have damaged every single community in this country that has football at the heart of it.
“That’s why they’re dangerous – [Real Madrid owner Florentino] Perez is dangerous, [Barcelona president Joan] Laporta, [Juventus chairman Andrea] Agnelli are all dangerous to the concept of equal opportunity and fair play...
“I spoke two weeks ago about these football clubs, Manchester United and Liverpool, they should act like the Grandfather of English football, demonstrating compassion, spreading their wealth through the family, their experience and being fair.
“They haven’t done, they’ve demonstrated self-greed and tried to walk away with all the money themselves and left their family struggling below.
“That is not what you do at this football club or at Liverpool Football Club."
Jon Champion cut off by ESPN
posted on 3/5/21
Regardless.
As a fan/supporter of MUFC for over 50 years, I would rather seem them competing in a league system featuring the strongest teams in Europe.
The EPL is great and/but teams like United can easily facilitate playing in both national AND continental leagues.
How those clubs are internally structered is irrelevant - in the most prevalent kinds of socio-economic systems - when such decisions are considered.
posted on 3/5/21
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Fckthglzrs. (U1270)
posted 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
comment by kneerash-23 Cara Gold (U6876)
posted 17 seconds ago
The reaction to the super league is a bit mad, whay are people shocked and appaled that capitalists are doing capitalism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Football's more than a product, it has cultural impact.
Destroying the fabric of the game for personal profit was always going to be an emotive issue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah I agree but fans want shiny footballers, they won't come to your club without the massive wages, owners like the glazers can afford the wages etc.
Our demand for constant football played the best players creates the demand for the Glazers etc to operate in.
We're part of the problem.
posted on 3/5/21
comment by Netan Sansara (U1734)
posted 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
We are the problem anyway. We the fans are spoilt greedy cants. Always demanding bigger and more expensive signings, so it becomes all about who can get the most money. I am the problem. So are you.
What is it we really want guys? Let's take some time to reflect. I personally like seeing players fighting and fans abusing each other. Money can't buy that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yep
posted on 3/5/21
comment by kneerash-23 Cara Gold (U6876)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Fckthglzrs. (U1270)
posted 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
comment by kneerash-23 Cara Gold (U6876)
posted 17 seconds ago
The reaction to the super league is a bit mad, whay are people shocked and appaled that capitalists are doing capitalism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Football's more than a product, it has cultural impact.
Destroying the fabric of the game for personal profit was always going to be an emotive issue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah I agree but fans want shiny footballers, they won't come to your club without the massive wages, owners like the glazers can afford the wages etc.
Our demand for constant football played the best players creates the demand for the Glazers etc to operate in.
We're part of the problem.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
United has always lived within its means, i.e. in the long term spent less than its income. The Glazers have not subsidised recruitment. They have extracted a billion pounds from the club that could have been reinvested in infrastructure, facilities, the community, as well as players.
posted on 3/5/21
comment by Netan Sansara (U1734)
posted 2 hours, 16 minutes ago
We are the problem anyway. We the fans are spoilt greedy cants. Always demanding bigger and more expensive signings, so it becomes all about who can get the most money. I am the problem. So are you.
What is it we really want guys? Let's take some time to reflect. I personally like seeing players fighting and fans abusing each other. Money can't buy that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not to forget pundits spitting at fans, it’s what makes our game great
posted on 3/5/21
comment by Netan Sansara (U1734)
posted 2 hours, 20 minutes ago
We are the problem anyway. We the fans are spoilt greedy cants. Always demanding bigger and more expensive signings, so it becomes all about who can get the most money. I am the problem. So are you.
What is it we really want guys? Let's take some time to reflect. I personally like seeing players fighting and fans abusing each other. Money can't buy that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 3/5/21
comment by rosso - time to #takefootballback #GlazersOut (U17054)
posted 4 hours, 29 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 22 minutes ago
comment by The Lambeau Leap (U21050)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 18 seconds ago
Lambeau: Barry'd
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Didn’t realise it was that nonce
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When you get Barry'd, there's only one nonce, and it's not Barry.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I mean, he’s got a point Lambeau
----------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 3/5/21
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 2 hours, 57 minutes ago
comment by kneerash-23 Cara Gold (U6876)
posted 27 minutes ago
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Fckthglzrs. (U1270)
posted 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
comment by kneerash-23 Cara Gold (U6876)
posted 17 seconds ago
The reaction to the super league is a bit mad, whay are people shocked and appaled that capitalists are doing capitalism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Football's more than a product, it has cultural impact.
Destroying the fabric of the game for personal profit was always going to be an emotive issue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah I agree but fans want shiny footballers, they won't come to your club without the massive wages, owners like the glazers can afford the wages etc.
Our demand for constant football played the best players creates the demand for the Glazers etc to operate in.
We're part of the problem.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
United has always lived within its means, i.e. in the long term spent less than its income. The Glazers have not subsidised recruitment. They have extracted a billion pounds from the club that could have been reinvested in infrastructure, facilities, the community, as well as players.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I agree, they're lucky united is such a money making machine that they could still afford to buy the players you have while taking so much money out of the club.
They bought a golden goose but have let the goose grow old if ya get me.
posted on 3/5/21
comment by rosso - time to #takefootballback #GlazersOut (U17054)
posted 4 hours, 53 minutes ago
comment by The Lambeau Leap (U21050)
posted 28 minutes ago
comment by The Post Nearly Man. Fckthglzrs. (U1270)
posted 4 seconds ago
comment by kneerash-23 Cara Gold (U6876)
posted 17 seconds ago
The reaction to the super league is a bit mad, whay are people shocked and appaled that capitalists are doing capitalism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Football's more than a product, it has cultural impact.
Destroying the fabric of the game for personal profit was always going to be an emotive issue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Super league would’ve made a mockery of our domestic game, make no mistake.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
At best. At worst, it would have been the beginning of the end of the football league.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree to all the comments, just the reaction to the fact that the owners of Liverpool and United were so up for it. They're super capitalists.
posted on 4/5/21
This has to be trolling 101 here.
‘We are the majority’ ?
This person speaks for India, China and USA. I see...
Well until these particular nations have any real credibility in football, then the whole continent of Europe may pay attention... and we’ll still tell you to fack off, and that the idea of franchise and closed competition is a crap idea.
As for now, and I’d suspect many a year to come, your vision for the greatest game in the world will be taken with a pinch of salt.
You have money, yeh, but we are the heart and soul, and that can’t be bought.