IRELAND CAPTAIN SEAMUS Coleman said that the defeated proposals to form a European Super League left him with “a horrible feeling as a football fan, never mind as a player”.
Plans for the breakaway competition, which provoked near-universal outrage across the football world, collapsed within 72 hours of their launch as the six English clubs involved — Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham — were forced into an embarrassing u-turn.
Coleman believes that the opposition to the idea among players, managers and fans was “unanimous”, and the Everton veteran was filled with “massive pride” at the manner in which his club condemned the proposal.
“It’s been a very interesting week,” he wrote in a message on Everton’s website.
“I think we’ve seen the good and the bad of football. The bad being the greed aspect of it all which was very, very disappointing, but then the good being fans of all clubs getting together and really putting their points across that the proposed Super League isn’t what we want.
“I thought that definitely showed the good side of football – the fans and a lot of broadcasters coming together as well. The football world united to let everyone know what we thought of the proposals. I think the feelings were unanimous amongst players, managers and fans so we got to the right conclusion in the end.
“I’m quite a laid-back person, things don’t bother me that much, but when the proposal was announced it just left a horrible feeling as a football fan, never mind as a player. It just automatically felt off, it didn’t feel good or right.
“When I saw the statement from my own football club condemning the plans, how strong they were and how they spoke from the heart, it gave me massive pride to be part of this football club. We are known as The People’s Club and that showed.
“Times like this make you so proud to be part of Everton because we are about the fans – and we always have been. We all understand football is a business but that’s only to a certain degree.
“Football is nothing without the fans and it never will be anything without the fans.”
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