Footballer-turned-journalist Gordon Parks has launched a fierce attack on both Liverpool and Napoli for their recent friendly game at Murrayfield.
The Italian outfit ran out 3-0 winners in Scotland last Sunday, but Parks believes it wasn’t fair on the Scottish supporters to hold the game at the national stadium.
“The final whistle may have blown six days ago but it still has to be said – Scottish football was taken for a ride last Sunday and the SFA should have immediately kicked the request from Liverpool to sanction the friendly into touch,” he wrote in his Daily Record column.
“Playing host to Liverpool allowed the SRU to pocket a six-figure sum, another boost to the egg-chasing fraternity from Scottish football fans who forked out for the privilege to watch the European champions minus most of their biggest names. It’s why Liverpool should have been told to walk on and find somewhere else for their friendly.”
OPINION
What really is Parks’s problem, here? He’s upset that Scottish football fans had to splash out to watch Liverpool and Napoli, minus most of the Reds’ big names. Yes, that will have been frustrating for those in attendance, but ultimately it was their decision whether they paid the money to go and watch the game or not. This isn’t really Liverpool’s fault, though. Yes, they may have approached the SRU with the idea of playing the game at Murrayfield, but that doesn’t mean they had to agree to it. Pre season is largely a commercial exercise for clubs, and the Reds obviously thought it was worth their while making the trip to Scotland. Parks is concerned that the popularity of these big teams will lead to a decrease in interest in the Scottish game. However, that seems hugely unlikely. The fans of clubs like Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian etc. aren’t simply going to decide to become Liverpool or Manchester United fans just because they cross the border every now and then to play a friendly in Edinburgh.
