The magic of the Cup still lives
It takes a duel between a global corporation and a corner shop to show it, but...
ABBEY STADIUM is the kind of football ground usually described as ‘homely’. The stands are modest, the away section lies close by a field where cows may safely graze, and the entire place can accommodate 9,617 people, although the capacity is rarely approached.
The refreshments, however, are said to be excellent, especially the bacon rolls, which cost £3 and have been deemed ‘legendary’ by visiting fans. On Friday evening, those desirable rolls will sell as never before.
The reason is what the BBC insists upon calling ‘the magic of the Cup’. A numbered wooden ball, plucked from a clacking bunch, dispatched Manchester United to East Anglia, to the delight of the corporation. It was for just such an occasion that the BBC invested in live football.
Sky had long since annexed the Premier League in a wad-waving swirl of Super Sundays and Magic Mondays. But the FA Cup was different; competitive yet civilised, curiously quaint yet undeniably contemporary, and laden with almost 144 years of history. In short, it was an institution which simply reeked of class, and the BBC — in alliance with BT Sport — were mightily pleased with their acquisition.
And here’s the strangest thing: their satisfaction was absolutely justified, and Friday’s fourth-round tie will prove their point. Unless both Chelsea and Manchester City take an almighty tumble at Becher’s Brook, then United will not win the title. All the more reason, then, for Louis van Gaal’s team to pursue the FA Cup; not only does ultimate victory guarantee a place in a relatively lucrative European competition, but it appeases the fans by delivering what the jargon calls ‘silverware’. It is a prize worth winning.
In recent years many have doubted its credentials, credulously believing that the Premier League invented football in 1992. While this heresy suited those who gorged themselves on Rupert Murdoch’s largesse, it crassly excluded clubs of modest means; decent clubs like Cambridge United. For years they have existed on small change; this week, they will enjoy national attention while reaping a reasonable reward. Such is the effect of the FA Cup.
It is the stark contrast which makes the contest so alluring. Cambridge have raised their prices, with the lowest set at a reasonable £20. They are guaranteed to earn £234,000 from the tie, through television fees and FA Cup prize-money. In order to maximise their good fortune, they have decided to make all their staff buy their own tickets for the game. This policy has grievously upset at least one turnstile operative, who has grown used to a free place for League Two games and has therefore resigned in protest.
BUT the reality is that Cambridge have pressing overheads to meet, that their very existence has been at risk these past few years, and that they are therefore obliged to make the most of this fortuitous gift of a Cup tie. After all, they have to meet an annual staff salary bill of almost £1.25million.
United have their own financial obligations. Their staff wage bill for last season came in at £214.8m. They spent £150m in the last transfer window, and it is possible that they will hand over the same amount in the current month. Their highest paid player, Wayne Rooney, receives close to £300,000 every week, while they are currently debating the future of their striker Radamel Falcao. A marvellous performer, searching for his form, he is on a £6m loan from Monaco, which will cost United £43.5m to make permanent. He is said to be earning anything up to £265,000 weekly, which means he would have to toil for almost five weeks to cover the cost of the Cambridge salaries. Rooney could do it in four.
In short, it is an uneven duel between a global corporation and a corner shop. And yet, and yet . . . nothing is decided, nothing is certain. Which is why the city of Cambridge is in a state of tremulous excitement, why the Cambridge News is offering fans ‘a special goody bag for just £1 that includes a copy of the paper, a souvenir clap banner, a free poster and other items too’. And why the BBC can show the tie at prime time on Friday evening, knowing that viewing figures for the third round were 20 per cent up on last year and aware that the remote prospect of Manchester United coming a terrible cropper will have millions upon millions switching on to see the fun.
For this is a competition which was born in the reign of Queen Victoria and the Premiership of Mr Gladstone and has proved an enduring ritual of our national life through the tenure of six monarchs and 25 Prime Ministers.
‘The magic of the Cup’ may be a desperate cliche but, in truth, there are times when only a cliche will do.