Meanwhile, At The Bus Stop...

Paul Larkin published these fine words in this post on his blog, thefrontofthebus.blogspot.co.uk.

I was all for commenting but I can't get through the filters so I'll put my thoughts down here for just now.



Well said, Paul.  Those are exactly my sentiments.
It's not just that what that shower did was morally wrong, unfair and totally contrary to the spirit of sport; it's the fact that nothing pleased them more than the idea of winning at any cost.  Most sports fans draw a line at how far it is acceptable to go in order to win but not that lot.
Nothing could embarrass them about the methods they used to chalk up victories and tournament successes. Suggestions that they had cheated or that Hun-friendly officials were always ready to assist them actually made them gloat even more heartily.

Their victory celebrations have always been centred on their delight at being able to taunt their rivals, to show nothing but contempt for other supporters while trying to intimidate everyone and anyone who was not in step with their triumphalism.

That is why they are different. That is why they are despised by decent fans of all clubs and none. And that is why nothing short of the maximum redress is required in order to show these bullies, once and for all, that they have been rumbled, faced down and unequivocally routed on every front.

Nothing short of completely wiping out their standing in the game will be good enough.
This was not about a few minor oversights or indiscretions. This was, and to a large extent still is, institutionalised corruption, calculated maladministration, wholesale cheating and shameless hypocrisy on an industrial scale. It has to be completely discredited without equivocation.

For the greatest scandal in the history of the game, only the ultimate punishment is appropriate.