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Thursday 16th June 2022 | PALATINATE
Sport
Sunderland are back in the Championship: so what’s next? Oliver Jervis It may sound rather cliché, but the Stadium of Light is shining once more after four frustrating years of depressed gloom. Their convincing victory over habitual party poopers Wycombe Wanderers in the League One Play-Off Final secured their long-awaited return to England’s second tier. So, what can we expect from the Black Cats in the notoriously competitive Championship, and what will they need to take the mighty step up to the Premier League after their prolonged period in the wilderness of the EFL? Firstly, it is expedient to address what has led to the club’s recent revival. Following Kyril LouisDreyfus’s successful takeover in February 2021, the Wearside club has had a resurrection of sorts. It seemed for a long while that all was lost for the boys in red and white, and the prospect of a return to the second tier was merely a distant dream. However, under Dreyfus and co.’s leadership, a strongly balanced squad has been established, with marquee loan signings such as Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts highlighting the club’s lofty ambitions. There has seemingly been no neglect of the Academy of Light either, with the spine of the team being largely constructed upon several homegrown talents such as stand-out performers Elliott Embleton and Anthony Patterson, both of whom started the crucial
game at Wembley. Thus, a fresh, Sunderlandfocused culture is evidently being instilled, one which may serve the club well if they are to successfully reach towards the promised land of the Premier League. Alongside this, the club’s infrastructure suggests that they are more than ready to make the leap of faith up the second-tier rankings. You will not have to go too far to discover the quality of Black Cats’ academy, with the Under 18s playing in their age category’s Premier League. Such a foundation indicates quite starkly the club’s consistent strength in depth. Aside from their internal structure, Sunderland’s fans are famous for their vastness of support. The club managed to sell almost 45,000 tickets for the PlayOff Final, and their average home attendance for the 2021-22 League One season topped the charts with over 30,000 spectators per game. The club are also rich in resources and, after the recent release of heavy wage-hitting figures such as Aiden McGeady and Will Grigg, it would be apt to expect the side to splash the cash this summer on constructing a squad capable of challenging any Championship eleven. However, it is essential to remember that all that glitters is not gold. Although the club have an evidently strong support, this does not entitle anyone to success, as the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, and Portsmouth discovered
over the course of last season. Moreover, aimless investment is a virus which has struck the Wearside club time and time again in recent years. With the temptations of the Championship and the prospect of Premier League television rights money in the headlights, the Black Cats would do well to evade this cardinal sin with conscious vigour. From a purely on-the-pitch perspective, the pressures of Championship football have been the downfall of many a side. The transition to this level is one that is rigorous, tiring and challenging. One need only cast their eyes on the examples of Rotherham, Bolton, Wigan,
sport are being ripped apart by the bottomless cheque of the Saudi investors. The winner of the series, Charl Schwartzel, picked up the biggest individual prize ever handed out a golf event, bagging $4 million for his victory. Not too shabby. Dustin Johnson, the highest ranked player to have signed up for the competition, is believed to have signed a contract in the region of $125 million. It is unsurprising, therefore, that these players have signed up. Those who are now a part of the Saudi arm of golf have been thrusted in front of the media in the previous weeks, and the overwhelming reasoning for signing up has indeed been because of the paycheque. Lee Westwood explained his decision to join by saying “if anyone comes along and gives any of us a chance of a pay rise then you have to seriously consider it don’t you.” There’s no problem with this; it’s honest. The problem comes when players like Graeme McDowell, who has become somewhat of a posterboy for the tournament, come out and try to explain and defend the regime and their involvement in the sport. In a press conference, the Northern Irishman said “we all agree up here that the Khashoggi situation was reprehensible,” then a matter of sentences later: “if Saudi Arabia want to use the game
of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be and they have the resources to accelerate that experience then we’re proud to help them on that journey.” It’s the boldest and clearest example of sportswashing we’ve seen in years. It beggars belief. What journey is McDowell proud to help them towards? It seems unlikely that the families of the 81 imprisoned civilians who were executed in March of this year alone would be supporting this ‘journey’. The victims of the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen, the LGBT civilians imprisoned and the women who are routinely discriminated against in Saudi Arabia probably don’t subscribe to the journey either. Mickelson said in March: “we know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all this why would I even consider it?” Well, he considered it. And joined them. These players are now an extension of the Saudi regime. By representing them on their tour they are the pawns for the Saudi branch of sportswashing. McDowell, amongst others, has tried to reassert to the press that they are “not politicians”. It’s true, but they are now certainly political actors. What has to be questioned, though, is if it is likely to be a
Barnsley and Charlton. Each one of these sides has the pedigree to consolidate their position at this level; however, they are unwillingly caught in some peculiar footballing purgatory as they yo-yo between divisions. This is another pothole for the Black Cats to avoid whilst on their prowl. Performances on the pitch obviously matter more than anything. Yet, such pessimism should not dim the hopes of the Sunderland faithful. Their recent success is a fantastic and welcome cause for celebration. Everything is finally looking up for the Netflix superstars, and no opposition supporter will see the
North East side’s supporters crying on television any longer. Instead, hopeful smiles ought to be gleaming from their faces. The recent examples of Leeds and Nottingham Forest, who both fell by the wayside in the third tier before ascending gracefully back to the Premier League, will offer deserved reassurance. They are more than capable of reaching the summit once more and, although strong consolidation would most likely be expected and desired on Wearside next season, there are subtle hints that Rome is finally being rebuilt.
successful venture by the Saudis. The first event wasn’t televised on mainstream television, and it only attracted a peak of 94,000 viewers during the first round on the YouTube live stream. The press reaction has been overwhelmingly critical and there are no world ranking points available for the players. The event has been an expensive
vehicle to promote the Saudis as western-facing and tolerant, but by doing so it has tarnished the reputation of the players involved and thrusted the sport into its biggest crisis ever. The longer it continues the more scrutiny it is going to get, and the success of Saudi Arabia’s latest venture into elite sports remains to be seen.
(Ronnie Macdonald via Flickr)
Saudi-backed LIV Golf series could destroy the sport
Harvey Stevens Sportswashing is a term which has become increasingly prominent in the public consciousness in the past few years. As Saudi Arabia has pumped billions of dollars into Western sports with the goal of improving their blood-stained reputation, criticism has ensued. With the hosting of blockbuster boxing fights, huge investment into F1 and the recent takeover of Newcastle United, it’s hard to find any elite sports which haven’t been funded at some point by the Saudis. Now, their investment in elite golf has spiraled the sport into a civil war. The brand-new LIV Golf series kicked off in Hertfordshire this week with elite names such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Kevin Na, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood having signed up. Their involvement with the tournament has led to their expulsion from the established PGA Tour to which they have all belonged for the majority of their careers. The new series poses two main problems. The obvious sportswashing allegations have attracted a significant amount of media attention and criticism. But it also threatens the integrity of the sport of golf as a whole. Much like the proposed European Super League in football last year, the established methods of competition in the
LIV Golf CEO and former World No1 Greg Norman (Steven Newton)
