- Aug 15, 2005
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Anyone think we need to get some AFC Wimbledon banners?
Not opposed to a year outside London if it is unavoidable - but that club symbolises all that is wrong in football
All that is wrong? Really
Diving
Agents fees
Dual ownership of players
Poaching youngsters from the academies who pay for their development
FIFA corruption
Foreign owners
The exploitation/circumvention of FFP
Even as a Newport Pagnell native I can empathise with people disliking 'the franchise', but the soundbite that they are 'all that is wrong with football' is complete bullshit. All of the items I've listed above are entirely separate from how one lower league club opportunistically userped the league place of another lower league club which was homeless, dropping down the leagues, and struggling to survive financially.
The owner of MK Dons is much more engaged with their local community than many of their lower league counterparts and their youth academy has already contributed a great deal to the national game, even though they themselves have been the victim of poaching youngsters with the Welsh lad George Williams(?) leaving for Fulham recently at the age of 16. He went to the same school as me.
So if you hate the Dons for how they came to exist, so be it and I completely understand and empathise. But please, lets not pretend they are 'all thats wrong with football'. They're not even the biggest thing wrong with football.
Personally I'd have a much bigger issue with it if Spurs signed Ched Evans or even just participated in a money-spinning friendly in Qatar to help the cause/line the pockets of Sepp Blatter and his corrupt cronies.