Beware TV Moguls Bearing Cash

Beware TV Moguls Bearing Cash

Let's start from the premise that no professional football club can exist without a dedicated core of fans who follow their favourites through good times and bad, and at home and away.

The recent interest shown by TV companies in the shares of football clubs will do little to comfort the majority of supporters. No doubt there will be a short term boost to a club's bank balance and the resultant flurry on the transfer market will cause some excitement but at what cost?

• a rush to Pay Per View television
• fans interests swept aside as matches are arranged to kick off at times to suit the schedules
• the rich get richer
• the poor struggle even more to pay ever inflated wage bills
• prices at the gates continue to rise
• clubs become more remote from their support

What can we do? The popularity of soccer on television is not in doubt - will the monster devour us all?

There is hope. The United Against Murdoch campaign played an important part in publicising the danger of Sky buying Man Utd. Other Football Supporter Groups, with varying degrees of success, promote a host of issues ranging from the local (United Clydebank Supporters) to the national (Kick Racism Out of Football).

Supporters are the future of football not the TV companies. We should resist the lure of TV cash, tempting though it may be. Media Moguls will go away if the fans refuse to play their game.

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