Will the fans and the owners of the twelve famous football clubs hoped to form a European Super League: AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man United and Tottenham forgive and forget this last weeks furore over the proposed Super League.
When the fans of the major UK clubs heard of the plans to form a European Super league their hearts were enraged, and their response was heard across Europe and the owners of the clubs took notice.
The fans point of view: Graham Hyde, of the trust, said: “Fundamentally the game is shifting from being one that has fans at the heart of it to one that is primarily about money.”
Soon afterwards, the UK Football Clubs withdrew from the proposed Super League and the planned league collapsed.
Will many of the fans forgive and forget or reproach the 6 English Clubs and the billionaire owners who finance them?
Many fans I believe will ‘Forgive and forget’ and be glad their views were taken to heart by the owners of their clubs.
Others may hold reproach against the owners and pursue the owners to favour the fans in their business approach to the game.
The meaning of ‘Reproach’ – holding something against another person.
‘Reproach in the Bible is where we read Cain slew his brother Abel because Abel’s offering of a lamb was favoured by God. Whereas, Cain who followed in his father’s footsteps looking after the land, his offering of fruit was not favoured by God. Cain’s displeasure and indignation grew to reproaching his brother so much that he killed him. Genesis 4: 1-16.
King Ahab reproached Naboth because he wanted to buy his vineyard, but he would not sell it to him. The King’s wife Jezebel plotted to have Naboth killed to acquire his vineyard. 1 Kings 21: 1-15.
Pharaoh’s reproach over the Israelites leaving Egypt led him to pursue then through the wilderness, only to be destroyed by God’s intervention at the Red Sea. Exodus 14
The Egyptians continued to reproach Israel. There at Gilgal (name meaning ‘rolling’) God rolled away the reproach of Egypt from Israel. Joshua 5: 8, 9.
Jesus and his disciples called on Lazarus and his sister Mary and Martha at Bethany. They shared a meal together and while they were eating their meal Mary went to where Jesus was sitting and anointed his head and feet. We read that the disciples were filled with indignation. Jesus disarmed their indignation by saying, ‘Mary has done a beautiful thing to me.”
To stop their indignation turning to reproach. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Matthew 26: 6-13.
Every person can hold something against someone else, without realising it’s a sin of reproach.
Reproach is a sin. Paul in his letter to Timothy wrote, “Moreover, He (Bishop) must be well thought of by outsiders or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” 1 Timothy 3: 7.
Where we are holding reproach against someone.
We bring our sin of reproach in prayer to the cross and say sorry to God, “ Father God, please forgive me my sin of reproach against________ I am truly sorry, and I repent of my sin. In Jesus’ name Amen.
Giving thanks because we believe that God in his love and mercy has forgiven our sin and will release the person from our reproach. 1 John 1: 7,8.
The sin of reproach against us:
“Lord Jesus, we pray that this sin of reproach that this person _____ is holding against us, we bring it to the cross, where Jesus bore the sin of reproach, and in Jesus’ resurrection God has rolled away that reproach from us, like the stone that was rolled away from the entrance to the tomb. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Thank you that we are accepted by God through faith in Jesus. Help us Lord, to walk above reproach, to love others as we would want others to love us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.