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Give it Back

Mike Bartram

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 The FA, UEFA and FIFA,
to me all these authorities mean just the same.
They are taking football out of our hands;
it’s no longer the people’s game.
Look at the World Cup in South Africa right now,
rows and rows of empty seats.
But that means very little to FIFA,
as long as they can fill their corporate suites.
Meanwhile throughout South Africa,
kids watch the match on the big screens.
Is this what the World Cup has now come to,
is this what football now means?
Inside a South African stadium just now,
I can see thousands of empty blue seats row upon row.
They were probably seats given away free to clients,
who couldn’t even be bothered to show.
Or maybe those clients are in the stadium somewhere,
talking business and cooking up many a deal.
Money to be made at every opportunity it would seem,
all tied up and rubber stamped with a FIFA seal.
And the story is just the same,
if you look at the English premiere clubs back home.
Customers and clients the clubs number one priority,
with their corporate boxes to rent or to own.
And while these clients watch the match,
from their ‘home from home’ in the stands.
We can only hope that one day;
the game will be back in the true supporters’ hands.

Notes

Wrote this during the World Cup, but the scenario could apply to most football matches from Prem games up to any major competition home or abroad.

Regular, working class footy fans are getting priced out of going to the match, the ‘peoples game’ ?……..not anymore.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/give-it-back/