Football has become a mockery.It has become difficult to remember the last time we were able to enjoy the sport without it being caught up in some external controversy which has always managed to overshadow the game itself.
Pundits are finding themselves analysing a handshake (or lack thereof) rather than the game of football everyone has turned up or tuned in to see, and we are forced to listen.
It has got to the point now where being a football fan has become frustrating. We have the Luis Suarez situation, the John Terry saga, and just when that looked as if it may finally become a closed issue, or at least leave the limelight to some extent, Sunday came.
Chelsea vs Manchester United was shaping up to be a classic; two early away goals were followed by a storming Chelsea comeback, and then the referee took centre stage.
The decisions made on the field were bad enough, but that you just about accept as a darker side of the game itself. The whole fiasco then truly kicked off in the tunnel and withing hours both the Telegraph and the Guardian mentioning allegations of racial abuse on their Twitter accounts.
This situation cannot end well. Should Chelsea’s official complain be disregarded it will be a PR disaster of massive proportions for the club, considering current circumstances. But if they are proven to be true, the FA will be forced to take the strongest possible action. Clattenburg’s integrity will be in tatters, as will the result of the match and much more beyond.
It would be nice, if, soon, we could just get talking about the football again. That is the whole point of the sport after all.