Scudamore must know his bubble has burst

TO absolutely nobody’s surprise, the Premier League has decided that Richard Scudamore is not sexist. Not a bit. After an exhaustive inquiry, conducted by one of his close chums, the clubs lifted their snouts from the television trough to declare their undying faith in the man who filled it with £5.5billion in the latest deal.

The cronies and courtiers of the chief executive celebrated his acquittal with predictable glee. Those depressing emails may have revealed a man with a penchant for sniggering smut and an offensively archaic attitude towards women.

But, hey, we all say things in private which we wouldn’t air in public. And he’s said he’s sorry, so everything’s fine. Right?

Well, not quite. His initial ‘apology’ was a self-serving parody, which used the terms ‘inappropriate’ and ‘error of judgment’. Sincerity never raised its voice. Even in his second attempt at contrition, he made the bewildering claim that: ‘These exchanges do not reflect my views.’ Make of that what you will. And yet, as enormously impressive women such as Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson have argued, the outcome of Scudamore’s inquiry was probably correct.

His outburst may have been pathetic but it was on the lower end of the sexist scale. And his departure might have suggested the problem was solved and that, when it comes to its treatment of women, football has no problem worth mentioning.

Yet this tacky little episode will have important consequences for the national sport. For the past 15 years, Scudamore has been the most powerful figure in the game and he has quietly revelled in that description. His reputation has grown along with the revenues. His ultimate answer to criticisms of his endlessly self-regarding organisation is a sanitised version of ‘greed is good’.

The club owners may be wealthier than Scudamore — some by a few billion pounds — but none has the same football hinterland, the awareness of potential problems and the ability to supply answers. He just oozes capability. At least, he did; until those emails were published. Suddenly, all those years of competence and capability counted for nothing.

For Scudamore has feet of clay and the fact has been noted by every club in his Premier League. Even as they pledge their loyalty, they will be making their plans.

And he knows it. He expects and deserves not a scrap of sympathy. His bubble has burst and his reputation is fractured. These are interesting times at the trough.