"To Hell & Baku"

What on earth were they thinking
Can you even find Baku on a map?
As a destination for a final
It couldn't have been more crap.
Not caring about supporters
We all know that's nothing new
None of that really matters
As long as corporates' can take a pew.
A meagre ticket allocation
At first glance it doesn't seem fair
But only the rich can afford to go
So do I really care?
It was once the 'Game of the People'
That's been lost in the mists of time
What's happened to professional football
Really is a crime.
Long gone are the days
When football was for the man in the street
Now it's only affordable
If you dress City pin stripe neat.
Toffee nosed posh cunts
Who won't let you shout and swear
Grassing if you stand up
Whining "I can't see it's not fair!"
Two grand minimum for the final
Probably flying in by corporate jet
Loose change they'll lose in a casino
On the spin of a single bet.
People mock Dulwich Hamlet hipsters
But these rich fans are who I despise
They're the ones killing our game
Not Champion Hill's fancy pies.
I'm fortunate I don't have to be bitter
Ni pointing fingers of blame
I missed this mass destruction
Because Non League's been my game.
At least I'm not going to end up disillusioned
Forced to walk away
Needing a fucking mortgage
On my team's Cup Final day.

Dulwich Poet 11th May 2019

( The 2019 Europa League Final between two London sides Chelsea & Arsenal was held in Baku, in Azerbaijan, thousands of miles away from England, with no direct flights, and very expensive to get to. I wrote these just before the game took place.)