It’s the middle of May and for the European Soccer Leagues it means the end of the season. In most of countries, championships have already been decided and in some countries the leagues have completely finished for the 2003-2004 season. Except those players participating in next Month’s Euro 2004, all the other players will enjoy a break from the game for almost three months to refresh themselves for the next season, starting in August. This season the most attractive competition took place in the English Premiership Football League where Arsenal remained undefeated for the entire season, a feat not achieved by any English Club since 1890.
Soccer is the most popular sport in Europe and no other sport can come anywhere near to it in terms of crowd attendance and television coverage. Since it’s a big money sport, soccer players from all parts of the globe come to play in the European Leagues - especially in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. Live coverage of important matches of those Leagues is broadcast to Asian viewers too. Thus the leading clubs are enjoying a lot of cash from attendance, television coverage, sponsorship and merchandizing.
Roman Abramovich, a billionaire businessman, took the soccer world by storm when he invested more than £100 million in the English club Chelsea after purchasing the team. This new found wealth health enabled Chelsea to get some quality players, but that was not enough to secure the championship in the end. However, this fortune was not wasted, as Chelsea secured the second position. Roman Abramovich, however, was not happy to with second and most probably the club will have a new Manager next season.
The team which won the championship, Arsenal, had an opposite picture in terms of money. They could not buy any notable new player and yet they managed to remain unbeaten for 38 matches. Arsenal had two things in their bag- the best manager of the English League, Arsene Wenger, and the best player of the world at this moment, Thierry Henry. Both are Frenchmen, but shone in the English Premier League. Thierry Henry scored 30 goals in the league this season and he also created many opportunities for others. Although Arsenal has a well organized team, Thierry Henry shines easily among the stars. His speed and skills to destroy the defense of the opposition reminds many viewers of the great soccer hero, Diego Maradona. This Arsenal squad is considered to be among the best the club ever had. In the last three years they have bagged two Championships. The best thing about Manager Arsene Wenger is that he’s an effective motivator and the players admire and respect him. He is like a father figure to them. Although he did not get any substantial money at the beginning of the season to buy new players, Wenger brought out the best from the existing ones in their season long triumph.
Last year’s Champion and the world’s richest club, Manchester United, had a lackluster performance this season. They could only finish third in the League. It seems that the decision at the beginning of the season to sell off two important players - English Captain David Beckham and Argentine mid-fielder Veron have proved to be too costly for them. They also suffered after their ace defender, Rio Ferdinand, was banned from taking part in the League after he failed to appear in a drug test. Unfortunately, the Manchester United Bosses failed to find replacements to these three players, even with all their money.
Apart from these top three clubs, the others were far behind in terms of competition. The fourth placeholder Liverpool was 15 points away from Manchester United. However, Liverpool may have a much needed cash flow coming after the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shiniwatra has offered to buy 30% of the clubs share with £65 million. If this deal finalizes, then the club will not only get some money but also would see its fan base in South East Asia soar. The three teams that will be relegated from the premier division are - Leicester City, Leeds United and Wolves. Among them, Leeds was a dominating force in English Football in the recent years. However, a financial crisis hit them too much and they had to sell some of their best players toward the beginning of the season and it affected them too adversely.
There are a few months yet before next season begins. During this time, the people of England have plenty of sports to enjoy, especially Wimbledon Tennis and EURO 2004. But most fans will eagerly await football’s glorious return.
Razib Ahmed is a freelance journalist from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
