We must blame ourselves.

[JustTosh]

What makes people love football? Is it the sport itself that attracts people? Yes of course it is the sport, but it’s more. What makes football special and different from other sports, is the passion that comes along with it. Not just the players on the field. Also us, the fans, are part of the product that fascinates people all over the world.

 

Every winner of the Champions league is benefited with more attention, more support, more money. No team, however, has had the increase in popularity that we’ve had after Istanbul. Some reports say we have almost doubled our support around the world. Why? It’s no other explanation than the passion shown from us, the fans. The grace we showed the world at the ties against Juve. The hard work from the players and overwhelming support from the stands when the working class underdog beat capitalism. Then there was Istanbul. Before the match one big passionate party with no real problems at all. Then the phenomenal support halftime at 0-3 and our players responding to the support with a remarkable rise from the dead.

 

Football fans all over the world seem to embrace Liverpool FC after this.

 

The noise and support at Anfield is admired. If you give a tourist with no sympathy for any club an option to go to a premier league match, there’s every chance he’d say he’d like to experience the passion at Anfield.

 

So, other than to brag about being the best supporters in the world, what is my point exactly?

 

My point is the club has to be aware of an increasing demand for tickets amongst tourists. If the club doesn’t watch out we might end up like ManU with a stadium full of shrimpeating tourist more and more living up to the nickname “theatre of silence”. It’s of the utmost importance that the club does whatever it can to prevent that Anfield is filled with tourists wanting to experience the sound and passion of Anfield. They must make sure the stands are filled up with real passionate fans. If they let to many tourist in they’d actually be ruining their own product.

 

We, the fans, are probably looking forward to increasing difficulties at getting tickets. We might experience a price raise as the stadium would sell out anyway. We might experience that local support is squeezed out even more. The paradox is we’ve brought it on ourselves with the good support we showed our team through the CL campaign last year. As sweet at the victory in Istanbul was, there could be a price to pay.