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.

No such issue this time, of course: United’s successive titles give us an unquestionable moral authority over Chelsea in at least one respect.

One might add the observation that United have at least ‘bought’ their passage to the final legitimately, from money earned via its real fans down the years, as opposed to Chelsea’s inglorious status as plutocrat’s plaything. None of which will matter at 10.45 local time, admittedly.

Mmm: 10.45pm. What kind of time is that to start a football match? Moreover, fans will be piling out of that stadium into one of Europe’s most hostile night-time environments in the small hours of the morning, there to face the horrific local plod and assorted neo-Nazi hooligans: thanks UEFA.

Sorry to bang on about this but really: the decision to give this final to the Russians is a shocking decision. The combination of the brouhaha over visas, the mind-boggling expenses involved, the lack of accommodation and, frankly, fears about the likely local reception has produced something one never thought possible – a final for which you can’t give tickets away. Yes, you read that right: as of the middle of last week, if you phoned a Manchester tout to offer him tickets, he would refuse them unless they were Category A.

The contrast to Nou Camp ‘99 couldn’t be greater, when we weren’t far short of witnessing Mancs offering up their daughters to anyone who could get them a brief. This time, the only instructions wise Mancs will be giving to their womenfolk is to stay well away from Moscow, where agro is all but guaranteed, I am afraid.

Still, here we are, as excited as children on Christmas morning nonetheless. I am surely not being overly pessimistic when I say United must start as underdogs, given the comparative form shown by the teams this spring and what happened at Stamford Bridge.

The Lampard Halo Effect is worrying for us too, such is the messianic atmosphere that appears to have developed around him and his team-mates following his mother’s death.

And yet… if I see Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez are all in the line-up announced at 7.30pm, I will be maxing out my credit card down the mobile to the bookies to back United. Ronaldo’s Big Game Performance is spectacularly overdue too: Wednesday may yet prove to be his adieu to us, allege Madrilenos, so what bettermoment to produce his personal climax at last?

That could apply to Fergie too: he played it wrong in ’99 but got away with it nonetheless — this time, may he and Carlos finally show the world what we can do. And not so much ala Nou Camp ’08 or ’99, but Lisbon ’66 or Turin ’99. Victory — but in style: The United Way.

Richard Kurt’s classic ‘Red Army Years’ is now re-issued, only via [e-mail]