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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport

The ugliness at the top of the beautiful game

Oliver Arblaster of Sheffield United hides his face after his side's defeat by Manchester United on 24 April
Oliver Arblaster of Sheffield United hides his face after his side’s defeat by Manchester United on 24 April. Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA

Jonathan Liew articulates much of what I have been saying for a while (For Sheffield United and co the Premier League brings a unique brew of misery, 23 April). The Premier League should no longer be viewed as the promised land for Championship clubs. The often morally dubious money of the large clubs has now distorted things so much that promotion is a hiding to nothing. And in the case of my beloved Sheffield United, it’s done so much damage to the club’s image that I feel we should probably sue the Premier League.

When you’re from Sheffield, you have a sense of the history of the game. From the rules being written down to the oldest football ground to the Little Mester’s workshop where the FA Cup used to be polished each year. But the game may now be tarnished beyond recovery. There’s a real sense that the Premier League bandwagon has now become an unethical and unwieldy beast for the few hugely monied clubs to play with.

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