Pundits’ showy partisanship reflects football’s embrace of fan-centric populism

The coverage of Manchester United’s win over Lyon last week was just the latest sign that fandom is consuming everything.

Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand former Manchester United players and TV pundits interact with Nemanja Matic of Olympique Lyonnais. Pic: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Impartiality fan here – for my sins! – but you have to say Robbie Savage and Rio Ferdinand during the closing minutes of Manchester United v Lyon on Thursday night were absolute class. It all starts in the 118th minute, with United 6-5 down on aggregate, and the TNT Sports camera lingering on the face of a crying boy in the crowd. “Let’s hope we can put a smile on that young man’s face by the time we finish,” the commentator Darren Fletcher says.

And it’s worth unpacking those 17 words, because contained within them are at least three layers of assumption. Foremost among which is the assumption that it would be a good thing, all round, if United won. The child is crying. Is there any cause more catholic or universal, any image more reliably guaranteed to tug at the tear ducts, than a crying child? The coefficient can wait for now.