The system stinks, but it works

Roman Abramovich’s decision to sack Roberto Di Matteo just 186 days after he won the Champions League, underlined — as if it really needed emphasising — that Football Plc has finally sucked out all the goodness from a sport that used to be known as the beautiful game and yet is now beholden almost entirely to the ruthless rules of big business.

There have been plenty of pundits and supporters crying wolf on message boards and radio phone-ins, claiming Di Matteo was harshly done by and shown painfully little respect for what he had achieved at Stamford Bridge.

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor led the way: “I know Roberto well and he is a good man so this is sad news. It’s also quite incredible that he can be sacked so soon after winning the Champions League — and the FA Cup for good measure.