THEY PROMISED to "deliver excitement and drama never before seen in football", and for a few short days they succeeded-just not in the way they had hoped. On April 18th a dozen of Europe's top football clubs announced plans to disrupt the game with a breakaway "Super League". Investors cheered. But fans revolted, broadcasters turned up their noses and governments vowed to block the plan. Within 48 hours half of its founding members dropped out. It was soon declared dead. What began as a daring bid to seize control of elite football now looks like a damaging own goal. The Super League promised its members financial security and sporting prestige. Instead the "dirty dozen" rebels have been forced to grovel to supporters and in some cases jettison their bosses. Their bargaining power over rival teams and league organisers has been weakened. They may face tighter regulation by governments responding to furious fans.
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