Leicester City’s Demise Is A Victory For Manchester United

The uncertainty the East Midlands side generated unsettled these giants, or at least the risk of it did enough for them to propose a European Super League when the pandemic wrought havoc with soccer’s revenue streams.

The ESL project promoted by English soccer’s big six: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, may have ultimately failed. But for a moment, the mask had slipped; clubs like Leicester City realised what they were truly up against.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates with the Emirates FA Cup trophy following The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of around 21,000 fans, subject to a negative lateral flow test, will be allowed inside Wembley Stadium to watch this year's FA Cup Final as part of a pilot event to trial the return of large crowds to UK venues. (Photo by Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

The FA via Getty Images

Leicester City manager at the time, Brendan Rodgers, summed up the feelings towards those who sought to undermine the meritocracy that allowed teams like his to dream.

"My job when I came to here was to disrupt the market. I wanted to know what defined the top six, clearly it’s money," he said.

“What we all have to do is protect the game, it’s about competing, and progressing, on merit.”

Despite the ESL project’s failure, stricter investment rules and more Champions League games are entrenching the dominance of bigger sides, pushing teams like Leicester even further to the periphery.

As sides, like Newcastle United and Aston Villa, who successfully managed to break into Europe’s elite competition for a season, have shown, the deck is stacked against any newcomers seeking to disrupt.

The difference between those two clubs and Leicester City is that their infrastructure and history are considerably greater.

This suggests a more concerning message: English soccer’s competitiveness may be declining.

Now, previously ‘entitled’ Leicester fans lower their expectations. They just want stable, mid-table Premier League ownership, not glory.

As Jordan Halford from the Big Strong Leicester Boys podcast told Sky Sports when relegation was confirmed.

"This wouldn’t have happened if he [former owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha] was still there,” he said

“But unfortunately, his son is not quite the businessman or the football club owner that he was. Top [Aiyawatt "Top" Srivaddhanaprabha] is never even at the club himself.

"He did an interview with Sky earlier this year, where he looked so out of touch, saying that we’re going for promotion. Everyone could see that we were going to struggle to stay up, let alone go for promotion.

"Leicester fans get a lot of criticism for being entitled. We’re not asking to be challenging for trophies like we were under Vichai; we're just asking to be sustainably run like Brentford and Bournemouth and Brighton. No disrespect, but we're bigger clubs than all of them.”

It is notable that, in these remarks, Halford both critiques attitudes toward Leicester supporters and expresses a similar sentiment.

This may reflect a tendency, especially during challenging periods, to reference club status as a means of distinction.

Really, everyone needs to accept the bitter and unfair reality that all the clubs Halford mentions are that their ability to dream is being stunted.

The demise of Leicester City is a tragedy for all, a reminder that the biggest teams aren’t just closing the gate on the competition, they’re bolting it shut.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com