Football is for the fans. Over the last year, Chelsea matches haven’t felt the same with empty stadiums due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tuesday was a reminder that without the fans, football is nothing, They drew 0-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge but in a way already won before the match even started.
On Sunday, it was announced that Chelsea along with the other five big English clubs as well as the three Spanish and Italian giants would come together and form a European Super League. To no surprise, fans weren’t happy about this for many reasons including this would kick the founding club out of the Champions League and players would be banned from representing their countries at the international tournaments.
Chelsea fans gathered to protest outside of Stamford Bridge on Tuesday before the match against Brighton.
#EnoughIsEnough [@RickyJFreelove] #CFC pic.twitter.com/0raHKvnT78
— CFCDaily (@CFCDaily) April 20, 2021
Sure enough, their voices were heard. Petr Cech, the club’s technical and performance advisor and club legend made his way into the crowd and pleaded that they let the team bus in and told them things will be sorted out.
Absolute scenes, Petr Cech in the crowd at Stamford Bridge begging fans to let the bus through... 😨 #SuperLeagueOut
— Rebekka (@rebekkarnold) April 20, 2021
pic.twitter.com/MRfoVE6vXk
Shortly after that, it was reported that Chelsea were preparing documents to withdraw from the Super League.
Then, the dominoes began to fall. Up next it was Manchester City, then Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal and a few hours later it was announced that the six English teams would be withdrawing from the Super League.
When it was announced that Chelsea would be the first to withdraw, the protest outside Stamford Bridge turned into a party.
The scene at Stamford Bridge as it’s reported Chelsea preparing to withdraw pic.twitter.com/meZpntKiBc
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) April 20, 2021
It was also reported that Chelsea would be releasing their statement on Wednesday and are still going through the withdrawal process.
No need to worry about a lack of an official statement 're Chelsea pulling out of the ESL. That will most likely come tomorrow but the process is underway. They're out.
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) April 20, 2021
Their are likely other reasons to why Chelsea is withdrawing from the Super League but the fans reaction has to be a factor.
Football is a game for the fans. It’s one of the reasons why players step on the pitch. The game really doesn’t mean much without the support of the fans.
Chelsea reminded us on Tuesday of that fact. The fans weren’t happy with the Super League and they used their voices. This goes to show how powerful football fans are. Chelsea fans made the club reconsider and thankfully all the other English teams reconsidered as well.
Yes, the sport and all professional sports at the end of the day are businesses but they wouldn’t be running without fans. For many, the game is an escape from this harsh world.
The game isn’t just about money, it’s also about the passion, the drama and the fans. The Super League would take away those magical Champions League nights and it would have not been about the fans anymore, only money.
Those fans outside Stamford Bridge were not going away until change was made and thankfully the club and soon other clubs had a change of heart.
Sure, you can never forget the fact that Chelsea wanted the Super League to happen in the first place but at the end you can forgive. If you are a Chelsea fan, you should proud to be one because you helped save football.