The beginning of the new, expanded UEFA Champions League recently has brought the footballing world back to the discussion of its ever-worsening calendar.
Of course, the increasing of games is not a recent issue; it has been happening over decades. The European Cup at one point used to feature only the winners of the domestic leagues before it was revamped to its current Champions League guise in 1992, featuring more teams from each league and thus boosting its brand, attracting more sponsors, more broadcasters, more revenue.
It’s money. It’s always been about the money, and as long as you can cloak it with a cape mirroring sporting integrity and call it a game of prestige you can get away with it.
“Don’t ask questions. Just shut up and play.”
We are, however, reaching a breaking point. In fact, we reached the breaking point a while ago, but it’s only now we have the active participants of the trade coming out and trying to make a point about how we have gone too far, and hinting at the need for drastic action.