Leave politics out of football

By Jason Moore THE script for the Champions League final on Wednesday night almost went badly wrong with the clear favourites on the back-foot. So confident were Barcelona that they were going to lift the ultimate crown that half the Spanish cabinet, including Prime Minister Zapatero, and even King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia travelled to Paris to toast the Spanish victory. The fact that Sol Campbell rather put a spanner in the works scoring his first half goal must have caused some concern for the VIPs in the Presidential box. In the end it all ended happily for Barcelona but it could have very easily been a different story. While the Champions League is the ultimate prize in European football I don't think that politics and the beautiful game really mix. It was always going to be a controversial final; the Catalans are not exactly popular in Spain at the moment with their push for greater power. The fact that not a single Spanish flag was flying in the ground must have further swelled Arsenal's small army of fans. But Wednesday's match was not about politics it was about football. Barcelona were not playing to underline their Catalan credentials (there were only four Catalans on the pitch and one played for Arsenal!) they were playing to win a football trophy which they did. It was a great night for the Spanish league. The fact that most Barcelona players are from abroad further weakens the Catalan claim. Let's just enjoy the match and leave the politics for the politicians and parliament.