Knights and knaves, leaks and spin. And dragged back from 2005, United apparently "not for sale".
In the middle of all this is the two day Soccerex football business conference in Manchester, which starts this morning. The BBC are holding an hour long live debate on "Football in the Red" on 5Live and the BBC News this evening to coincide with it. At precisely the same time, the England 2018 bid team are hosting a VIP reception in the Victorian splendour of the Town Hall. No handbags please lads.
I'll be at Soccerex for the next two days thanks to a kind benefactor and will try to take the temperature of the game (whilst also benefiting from happy hour sponsored by the Russia 2018/22 bid).
No doubt it will be weird and I can't help feeling there is something missing from this self description of the event by Soccerex Chief Exec Duncan Revie (any relation?):
"The Soccerex European Forum in Manchester will provide the perfect occasion for UEFA, football clubs, leagues, global media, commercial partners and other key stakeholders to come together to assess how we need to improve the running of the game and help secure its long-term future,"
Spotted which "key stakeholders" are absent from the assessment of "how we need to improve the running of the game"?
Yes, that's right. The fans.
LUHG