RIGHTEOUS FIVER
There are many more eloquent, authoritative and amusing voices in the game than the Fiver, and the Football Supporters Federation chief executive Kevin Miles has long been one of them. Miles retains an inexplicably cheery demeanour for a man who devotes his every waking hour to what must seem like the utterly futile task of looking after the welfare of football fans. His occasional rewards? Victory in the battle of an unwinnable war against the venality of various clubs, sponsors and governing bodies who seem to work equally tirelessly to dream up new ways of bleeding their patrons dry. Whether it is looking after the best interests of England fans on tour, supporters who wish to stand safely at football matches, or thirsty freeloading hacks who wish to drink unsafely at his organisation’s annual jolly-up in London, Miles invariably leads from the front with a goofy grin on his chops and today he had cause for a mini-celebration as the Football Supporters’ Federation ongoing Twenty’s Plenty campaign bore something resembling fruit.
“It’s a refreshing exception to see a sponsor involved with football genuinely doing something that benefits fans,” said Miles, as he greeted the announcement that Virgin Media will reimburse the costs of supporters’ tickets above £20 for a single away fixture at all Premier League clubs. “Many commercial sponsors pay lip service to the idea of fans being crucial to the game but in supporting the FSF’s work around away fans in particular, this initiative sets a new standard for actually doing something in practice. Fans up and down the country will now be asking what their own club sponsors can do to follow suit.”
Last year, in the face of continued FSF pressure to cap top-flight away tickets at £20, Premier League clubs showed just how petty they can be by voting unanimously against doing that. Instead, they introduced a maximum price of £30, which is demonstrably not £20. Showing the kind of diplomacy which explains why he’s chief executive of the FSF and the Fiver’s a sanctimonious and unfunny email chained to a rusty pipe in a Kings Cross crawlspace, Miles said it would be “churlish to do anything other than celebrate that Premier League clubs seem to have for once listened to fans”. Listened but not well enough to actually hear, would be the Fiver’s churlish retort to that one.
In a world where some of the supporters whose interests he represents can be so blinkered and tribal they’ve been known to defend their club’s overpriced tickets on the basis that they’re less over-priced than the over-priced tickets of other clubs, Miles and his FSF colleagues are pragmatic enough to know that any progress is to be applauded but they invariably temper their praise. If something good has been done, they always remind us there’s a hell of a lot more to do. They’re not wrong. While Virgin Media are reimbursing most travelling fans to the tune of a tenner each on a strictly one-off basis and will consider the cost money well spent on the positive PR their wheeze generates, the problem of clubs with coffers bulging from TV money exploiting their fans remains resolutely unsolved.
INVENTIVE COIN-GRAB OF THE DAY
“Football is very ungrateful to small teams on this sponsorship issue. You cannot put together a good team without conditions and having a good team requires resources” – chief suit of Brazilian side Fluminense de Feira, Xiko Melo, responds to head-scratching inquiries from fans and hacks about players wearing numbers such as 5.98 and 20.38 in a recent game. The reason? They were advertising the prices of shampoo, sardines, pizza and other guff at a local supermarket chain. Obviously.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“He is very ambitious and he wants to win the [Big Cup] ... we went out in such emphatic fashion, it was difficult to take for everybody, I believe even more for him because it’s a big part of his ambition” – Arsène Wenger reveals Mesut Özil isn’t quite as Arsenal as previously thought.
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FIVER LETTERS
“Well, if Canada, Mexico, and the USA are somehow successful in their application to host the 2026 World Cup, I would anticipate that USA! USA!! USA!!! viewers will be able to enjoy wall to wall coverage of the event” – Scott Henderson.
“Re: Manchester City’s 10-year partnership with Uruguay’s Atletico Torque: that’ll give them good leverage in their dealings with other clubs, won’t it?” – Jon Gold.
• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you’ve nothing better to do you can also tweet The Fiver. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Scott Henderson.
BITS AND BOBS
Less than a month ago, Harry Kane’s ankle disintegrated into a cloud of dust. Now, he’s back.
Less than a week ago, Sadio Mane’s knee disintegrated into a cloud of dust. Now, he’s b … no, sorry, wait: he’s out for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Jürgen Klopp said “Phil is still ill” which was a fitness update and not a summation of the player’s improved form in youth-speak.
Antoine Griezmann is a wanted man: wanted by Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, specifically. So says his vibes man, the splendidly named Eric Olhats.
Slaven Bilic has instructed West Ham to “leave our egos in our beds” in their ongoing quest not to be absolutely trousers.
Atlético Madrid’s president reckons they and Leicester are like two peas in a pod, as they prepare to play each other in Big Cup. “Players in teams with smaller budgets can still be great players and we managed to build a good squad, we had a magnificent coach, we started the season well and we kept up the pace,” tootled Enrique Cerezo.
And Pope’s O’Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha has gone to impressive lengths to jazz-up an away day at Aberdeen. “Everybody says that we are going to hell and I like those type of scenarios,” he roared. “Football is about challenges. The history of football started with two cities fighting until they take the ball from one specific place and you can score one goal. Those moments were really violent and that’s the nature of football.”
STILL WANT MORE?
Want five things to look out for in the coming weekend ahead? Well, we can’t help you there. But if you want 10? Well, step right up.
It’s nice to be nice, isn’t it? Well, Sporting Gijon and Real Oviedo very much agree, and emphasised the point by playing a game in the Gambia to raise funds for clean water over there. Sid Lowe popped along too.
Everyone’s getting along in America. Well, some people are getting along. OK, the women’s national team and the federation are getting along after agreeing a deal for pay and whatnot. Beau Dure reports on some rare positivity.
Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!
