Well, it is a documented fact that the deadly coronavirus is taking centre stage in many aspects of human lives, gravely affecting the daily diet of many confirmed citizens.
However, some corporate entities and bloodthirsty individuals, masquerading as Good Samaritans, have made it their sole province to exploit loopholes created by the devastating pandemic to make a quick buck.
And while few service providers such as food retails, medical institutions, petrol stations and few others have been declared essential entities by high authorities, pay-per-view broadcasters Multichoice/Supersport channel has been hard hit by the ongoing corona pandemic, with the regular live screening of almost all major sporting gatherings worldwide being brought to a premature halt.
It’s now almost three solid months since your viewers watched a decent live televised football match or super rugby matches on the “telly”.
It’s unfathomable that Supersport has rather chosen to remain tightlipped, offering no proper apology or alternatives to its entertainment, starving its valued subscribers of proper service.
In contrast, the pay-per-view channel saw it fit to remind its valued customers about their monthly subscription fees while feeding us with repeats and worn out sport programmes. Football is larger than life, it is more than just a game, it’s a much-cherished religion amongst a sizable chunk of the country’s inhabitants.
As stands, football is back on the “telly” with matches coming in thick and fast but the product is no longer the same, kind of half-fermented beer in the absence of live audience in the stadiums.
Truth be told, you can’t provide a half-baked product and still charges the same amount for a full package – that’s daylight robbery, so to speak. We have been long taken for a ride because watching football without the audience is like serving universal breakfast on the African continent.
Sterling sets the tone for transformation in sport
Yours truly has been following unfolding events in the aftermath of the senseless brutal murder of George Floyd, an African/American who was brutally suffocated via the sharp knee of a bloodthirsty white cop. The incident sparked protests across the globe under the slogan “Black Lives Matter”.
Manchester City’s Jamaican born English footballer Raheem Sterling weighed into the debate calling for drastic changes in the corridors of English football. The former Liverpool forward pulled no punches and called spade a spade, not a large spoon.
Raheem made a very valid point when he pointed out racial discrimination in English football, notably his reference to the appointment of coaches in the England topflight leagues. His argument that former retired pros Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Steven Gerrard (Rangers Scotland) were given preferential treatment is spot on.
Fair enough, both players enjoyed stellar careers with their respective teams and retired at the same time but the same does not seem to apply in the case of their black counterparts Ashley Cole and Sol Campell.
The abovementioned pair were also equally great footballers during the same era but would sadly not afforded the same opportunity, let alone being granted interviews for any plum job in the top echelons of British football because of systematic institutionalised racism.
It’s now incumbent upon all athletes from the oppressed communities to stand up and speak with one voice about systematic racism, not only in sport but in all aspects of life. Racism is wrong, bad and it dehumanises the real value of mankind. I rest my case.