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#3 Kheira Hamraoui and the PSG disaster
Undoubtedly the strangest football story of the year was a peculiar problem that emerged at Paris Saint-Germain. Talented French midfielder Kheira Hamraoui's dream move from Barcelona to Paris soon turned into a nightmare.
PSG teammates Hamraoui and Aminata Diallo were reportedly returning from training when their car was accosted by two men in black masks. The duo assaulted Hamraoui with an iron bat, while her teammate was completely ignored. In a shocking turn of events, Diallo was brought in by French police, as unverified reports accused her of arranging the attack on her teammate.
However, Diallo was found to be innocent, and was cleared by the police. But the drama was not over. Barcelona legend and executive Eric Abidal was soon named as a person of interest when it surfaced that he had been involved in an affair with Hamraoui back in Spain.
The case is still ongoing, and there is a significant amount of unverified information in circulation. The spotlight is now on Eric Abidal's wife, who has already filed for divorce after the affair came to light.
This one isn't over by any means, but it already feels like something straight out of a surreal soap opera.
#2 Racism rears its ugly head once again
Racism has long plagued football, and despite all the talk about making a change, 2021 was no different.
There have been numerous high-profile incidents: a linesman reportedly directed a racist remark towards a player during a PSG-Basaksehir Champions League game. Meanwhile, isolated incidents of racist chants by fans in French and Italian football continued to make news.
Things came to a boil when Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling faced a barrage of racist abuse on social media after England's defeat in the Euro 2020 final. The trio missed their spot-kicks against Italy in the final shootout. Five people were subsequently arrested, and one fan was reportedly even jailed.
The above incidents show that even in 2021, racism in football sadly continues to fester on the pitch, in the stands or on the internet.
#1 The European Super League
Covering the entire European Super League (ESL) controversy would require an entire conversation of its own. But in simple terms, it was probably the biggest story football had seen in over a decade. Nothing has brought fans from across the world together like the backlash against the proposed ESL did.
On April 18 this year, 12 clubs - England's 'Big Six', Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, and Italian heavyweights Juventus - announced their intention to break free of UEFA. The Union of European Football Associations is the primary governing body for football in Europe, and hosts the Champions League.
The 12 teams stated their intention to establish a new tournament, and thereby increase their own revenue and boost their finances. UEFA and FIFA moved quickly to shut it down, but true power was in the hands of the fans. Massive protests were held across Europe at short notice, and the backlash convinced the English clubs to drop the idea. Most of the other involved teams soon followed suit.
The fallout was historic. Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez were revealed to be the brains behind the ESL. Agnelli stepped down from his executive role at UEFA, and was soon forced to resign from his role at Juventus. Ed Woodward was forced out at Manchester United.
The ESL might have been a huge failure, but the sheer audacity of Europe's heavyweight teams has left a deep scar on the sport.
