The absurdity of modern football

 I just bought a Ming vase for a few million. It's a beautiful thing and a delight to watch. But I want it to make money for me, so I'm going to throw it into an arena and allow a bunch of (usually eleven) less than beautiful ruffians to hack it about, kick it to the ground, stand on it, and treat it with unspeakable violence. There will be a lot of vociferous protesting, hands raised in indignation, claims of innocence from the most guilty, but basically, it seems, this is what people will pay to see.

Don't get me wrong ... I enjoy watching football, I marvel at the skill of players at FC Barcelona, for instance, and love the drama of a cliffhanger as much as anyone. Even without Barca, Messi and Iniesta,  the Lisbon UEFA cup final had its moments ... But the run up to the final matches of the cup spoke for itself. The number of highly paid players on the doubtful list, potentially unfit to play, was an illustration of the absurdity of the modern game.

What I find senseless is, on the one hand, the huge sums of  money invested in the best players, and on the other the general permissiveness towards dirty play, the shirt-grabbing, the pushing over from behind, the hacking down of the superskilled by the less skilled. Is that really an acceptable way to treat expensively acquired and wonderfully crafted Ming vases?

Wouldn't we prefer to see these artists playing in better regulated games, and at less risk to themselves? A thought for the World Cup games about to open in Brazil. May there be less violence both inside and outside the stadiums.

CJM
May 2014