As disasters go, the ill-fated and short-lived European Super League ranks among the biggest calamities of recent times.
Debris from the secret pact that has split football apart, and the threat of recriminations for the 12 teams who signed up to the venture, continue to reverberate across the UK and mainland Europe.
And as more revelations emerge, a surprise opportunity has arisen for football fans – they can buy an official Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man United or Spurs ESL shirt for as little as £2 from Poole-based Wholesale Clearance, who specialise in selling ‘bankrupt’ merchandise.
‘We have got thousands of the things on the way to our warehouse,’ Karl Baxter, the company’s owner told Sorted. ‘I specialise in finding buyers for any kind of clearance stock.’
Footballing history
Tens of thousands of useless and unwanted shirts, that would have sold for £29.99 had the breakaway league gone ahead, are now being sold off at throwaway prices by Karl and his team.
So whether you are a club devotee who buys the latest shirt every season, or you simply want something to remind you of how one of the world’s biggest banks (JP Morgan) and a dozen of the biggest clubs can get things so wrong, all you have to do is get in touch with Karl and his team, and a bit of footballing history could be winging its way to you.
One unimpressed Hull City fan, whose team has just won promotion back into the Championship, said: “I might just buy a few. I need some rags to wash and clean the car with, and these sound like they’ll be perfect for the job!”
Tony Yorke is Deputy Editor of Sorted.