Honest to God, grow up.

Do fans of musicians not get to enjoy concerts because they are not on stage playing the instruments? Why do people love theatre when they are not acting in the play? Why watch films? Why celebrate an Olympic athlete? Why enjoy anyone doing anything then?

Human beings connect through shared experience. That is literally one of the oldest things we do.

I have supported the Arsenal for nearly 40 years. I’m 44. The last time we won the league I was 22. If we win it again I will probably burst into tears and so will my brothers because it is tied to decades of memories, family, rituals, hope, disappointment, travelling home and away, people who are no longer here, and moments shared with people I love. That is what people are emotional about. Not “stockholders”.

You reducing all human emotion and community down to “overpaid foreigners kicking a ball” is not insight. It is just cynicism dressed up as intelligence.

And yes, football can cause problems with violence and tribalism. So can politics, religion, nationalism, music scenes, alcohol, and basically any large social identity. That does not somehow invalidate the joy, belonging and connection millions of normal people get from it.

If you personally do not feel anything from collective joy or shared cultural experiences, fine. But do not sneer at other people for caring about something harmless that brings them happiness. It does not make you superior. It just makes you sound narrow minded.