Pandemic Football

My lovelies, it’s been a bit. I’ve been out of the game, my creative juices alluded me. But really, as my Dad would say, ‘there’s no bloody excuse.’ In all honesty, I didn’t realize the, ughhhhhh, pleasure that this blog brought some of you so I’m happy to reignite the fire. I hope you are aswell.

There seems to be only one thing that’s really made the headlines in the world of football and it’s not that Everton, Aston Villa and Leicester stand proud at the top for of the Premier League table. It’s Covid-19 and the impact it’s had on everything from the health of players, the joy of being in a jam-packed pub cheering your club on to the mindset of players competing in empty stadiums …. amongst many other things.

All in all, I’ve been super impressed with the way that the world of football has handled the pandemic. There hasn’t been enough cases of Covid-19 to completely shut down any leagues since they started up again which shows that there’s been an element of responsibility towards mitigation of risk, unlike the leadership South of the border to us.  All leagues are running fairly smooth to my knowledge. The one spanner which that could divert success down a slippery slope to doom is International breaks. I have no idea why FIFA and UEFA see the need to play International football right now. Qualification for the next Euro’s has been decided outside of the play-off matches and the Nations League is a waste of a tournament. Do any of you actually turn on International friendlies or the Nations League with intent? I don’t - it bores the hell out of me. Of course there’s politics and money at play which of course will take precedence over the health of professional footballers and their families every day (sarcastic roll of the eyes).

Now what about the joy the pandemic has taken from the fans. Well sitting on this side of the world where we only get the lower tier of professional football in the Whitecaps therefore it hasn’t drastically changed our way of life. However, I remember living in the UK and the experiencing the wonders of matchday,. Hitting a restaurant for brunch and a beer before taking the train to the stadium. Disembarking and walking to one of the litany of pubs around the stadium. Realizing it’s 30 minutes from kick-off and marching to the stadium with your fellow supporters in a sea of your clubs colors and finally, singing your lungs out in hopes of your team securing victory. The nostalgia from the explanation alone gives me chills. So yes, the pandemic has taken a slice of joy out of day to day life for the ardent football supporter.

The most interesting aspect of football in a pandemic world was how the players would respond to empty stadiums. I watched a Champions League match when football just started up and without the artificial sound, it was surreal to watch - I didn’t like it. I only wondered the impact it had on players. However, I haven’t seen an actual difference in the competitiveness and talent on the pitch. If anything, it’s helped level the playing field between the so-called super clubs and others hence the table view of the Premier League at this moment in time. I commend the players for giving us the same joy of watching football during the pandemic as we had prior to.

In summary, I love football and cannot be happier that it’s back. In times of hardship it’s important to look at the silver lining’s that provide a glimmer of hope to us all. What this pandemic has done is make me reflect on the comradery and banter shared amongst football supporters when social interaction was a thing and appreciate the uniqueness in passion that our sport embodies.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers and happy Saturday to the rest of the Universe.

Enjoy the football!