The booty full game
FEVER PITCH: THE BATTLE FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE (Paramount+ now) ★★★★
ENGLISH football’s Premier League was founded in 1992. But this new series points to another pivotal date, suggesting 2003 was when it came of age.
On April 23, Manchester United faced Real Madrid in the Champions League. United went out on aggregate but won a 4-3 thriller on the night.
And one man in Old Trafford’s crowd of 66,000 was particularly enthralled.
A little-known Russian businessman, Roman Abramovich, decided there and then that he fancied his own piece of Premier League action.
Three months later, Abramovich bought Chelsea FC for £140million.
Determined to challenge United and Arsenal, he began spending a fortune on players.
And so the floodgates were thrown open. Money had always played a huge role in football but on nothing like the scale that was to come.
Told in four parts, this is the story of how England’s Premier League became a billionaires’ game, as more and more international investors, rich beyond the wildest dreams of most owners, wanted a stake.
It’s also a sobering reminder of what happens to clubs who can’t keep up.
Leeds United and Southampton fans share particularly painful memories.
Along the way, we hear from major managerial figures – including Jose Mourinho, Sven-Göran Eriksson, Claudio Ranieri, Arsène Wenger and Harry Redknapp, plus former players such as Frank Lampard and David Beckham.
Other contributors include Peter Kenyon, who was chief executive at Manchester United and then Chelsea, plus ex-Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale.
But it isn’t all money talk. It’s also a great nostalgic wallow.
In 2003-04, Arsenal would go unbeaten all season. Manchester City would finish 16th.
And the seventh most successful team in England would be Charlton Athletic.