The moment of moments during the last European Cup week was undoubtedly the scene with the spinning Brazilian Antony. The way he guided the ball with the inside of his right foot while accurately pivoting twice was a prank unlike anything the football world had seen before. However, the piece of art didn’t even belong there. Instead of on the lawn of Old Trafford, he should have performed it in a circus arena. As a clown.
With his skilful turn, Antony didn’t let one or two or three opponents slip desperately into space – but not a single one. No opponent was even close to the right winger of Manchester United, who even knew how to crown his performance: with a through ball that rolled straight out of bounds.
Although this was just the unsuccessful show interlude of a virtuoso who loves the ball and maybe also loves himself, it was not difficult to recognize in the scene an allegory of the perverted football circus. As mannered and senseless as Antony revolves around himself, the markets of professional business are so misused and excessive that threaten to overwhelm the beautiful game.
Manchester United had been haggling with Ajax Amsterdam for weeks over the takeover of the 22-year-old Brazilian striker in the summer. Initially, the English offered 50 million euros, until they were ready to put down 95 million at the end of the battle, plus “bonuses” of course. And for that huge pile of banknotes, Antony now performed a trick in the Europa League game against Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol that wasn’t a trick that earned him and Manchester United nothing but derisive laughter.
It was already a fruitful European Cup week for mockery and malice. The Champions League said goodbye to a number of notorious cases in the second European league, which could be allowed to be relegated without a guilty conscience. While Juventus Turin and FC Barcelona will continue with United and Antony in the Europa League – which one or the other snob in the respective appendix may see as a declassification – Atlético Madrid is not even certain of that.
Humility? Reflection? New players are needed!
In Barcelona, the next humiliating encounter with FC Bayern, the sixth defeat in a row in the Catalan-Bajuwarian duel, does not trigger humility and reflection, as one might think. But the usual narrow-minded hustle and bustle: does Rúben Neves come from Wolverhampton in winter? And when will Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva finally sign on? New players have to be found as quickly as possible, because even a temporary transfer from the upper to the middle class is unbearable.
In this case, gloating is expressly not immoral. Juventus Turin and FC Barcelona are two of the three big clubs that are still trying to set up a super league in order to save their financially unhinged business model. The two clubs are willing to eliminate what remains of competitive equality and sporting community, so it’s nice to see them fail in the competition.
FC Bayern supporters, but not only them, are also allowed to watch with a sneering smile as Robert Lewandowski will score his goals in the Europa League instead of the Champagne League in the new year. He will score, no doubt, but the stage will be too small for a golden ball. However, it is always good for funny moments.
