We want victory in style: The United Way

SO here we all are this week, at last: a whole continent’s eyes cast towards a venerable Eastern Bloc capital, where a thrilling competition comes to a primetime TV climax — amidst, no doubt, much muttering about skulduggery and bias.

But enough of the Eurovision Song Contest: what of the European Cup Final?

Actually, that’s not as facetious a comparison as it appears on first sight. Eurovision fans grumble, just like us football types, about the devaluation of their competition, with its spurious additional stages and rigged entry qualifications, all of which appear simply to be devices to earn more money for various capitalist interests. I know some ultra-purist United fans who even feel slightly uncomfortable about the 1999 triumph because, technically, we didn’t enter that tournament as Champions, as would once have been the requirement.