Home And Away | A week of wonder beaten and bruised by Russian desire for a hooligans’ league
The beautiful game shows its best as Barcelona stun Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich down Arsenal again, but also worst side as leading Russian politician calls for organised fighting ahead of 2018 Fifa World Cup
Pinch yourselves. Yes, this spectacular week did happen. The greatest comeback was achieved in Barcelona, a gobsmacking rally against defeat witnessed in Germany and a rout to end all routs in North London.
Miracles at the Nou Camp, a hat-trick in Signal Iduna Park and a mauling at the Emirates Stadium.
Grown-ups blubbed, commentators scarred vocal chords and the watching world celebrated the wonder of football – the drama, the tension, the roller coaster raid through the spectrum of emotion, from pathos to rapture in 90 breathless minutes – knockout football at its most brutal and sublime, a showcase of European finery.
You’d like to think the host of football’s next global festival – Russia’s 2018 World Cup – would be taking encouragement from the last seven days.
Fat chance. During the week of weeks, a leading Russian politician, Igor Lebedev, revealed his big sports idea – to legalise football hooliganism and put 20 thugs in an arena dressed in their team’s colours and watch them knock seven bells out of each other. There would a be points system and league table – top Saturday night telly for the family.
