Football runs the risk of rotting from the top

Evening Standard


In an age of austerity, the Premier League is one English institution that should have little to fear. Even in the teeth of the worst recession for 70 years, it attracts money that would make bankers feel envious.

However, as the League celebrates its 20th birthday, it would do well to heed the warning a slave would give to a victorious Roman general returning from foreign conquests. During the ceremonial ride, holding the golden wreath above the general’s head, he constantly murmured in his ear: “Respice te, hominem te memento” (Remember you are only a man).