“When a sinister person means to be your enemy, they always start by trying to become your friend.” – William Blake.

It was none other than Jose Mourinho, who was the first to be called an “enemy of football”- for the heinous crime of rubbishing a referee.

But now English football knows who its real enemies are – the sinister six who signed up for the European Super League – all of whom started by trying to become their club’s friend.

Some have spent big money on players, spruced up grounds and, in the case of Manchester City, transformed them from mid-table comedians to all-conquering giants.

Most, but not all, have issued grovelling apologies for their betrayal, but none are likely to wash.

Bridges, boats and much else have been burned, but these charlatans remain as owners and, after their failed coup, may be hard to shift.

Other billionaires may hesitate to buy until the clouds clear, and it’s just possible – we can but hope – that the value of their assets has gone down!

Whatever the outcome, for the health and safety of the game, they must be punished and kept on a tight leash.

Football is entitled to celebrate an historic victory but the spoils – a rare unity in the game and a heaven-sent chance to take fans seriously and stiffen rules – must not be squandered.

The game must insure against a repeat as, without a shadow of doubt, the perpetrators of the biggest attempted heist in football history cannot be trusted.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “I was a criminal lawyer for 24 years, but I have never been lied to like I have been by these people.”

As we recover from the shock and try to see where the game goes from here, it hits us that this had been coming for a long time.

The UK Sun newspaper suggests it goes back to 2017 when a cabal first formed – appropriately enough in a New York restaurant frequented by the Mafia.

There is no suggestion what was discussed was perfectly above board. Sacrilege to fans, but smart business in their eyes: turning their UK assets into franchises.

As the trio – John Henry, the Glazers and Stan Kroenke – respectively own three of the most storied clubs in England – Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal – they saw enormous potential.

The stumbling block was the risk factor – the infuriating meritocracy in European football of having to qualify for the Champions League. In recent years, United have not always managed it and Arsenal only rarely.

And so, a plot was hatched.

Sensing similar frustrations in Europe that more profit could be made out of the Champions League, they kept demanding concessions from UEFA. Every time they met, the Super League was the elephant in the room.

Research told them that a changed format could multiply revenues several fold and even though there’d be opposition from hardcore fans in the game’s hotbeds, a new audience was ready to take their place.

The term “legacy fans” was devised for traditional supporters whereas the casual fans around the world – who aren’t so tied by the bonds of local loyalty – were dubbed “future fans”. And according to market research, the money was in future fans.

They claimed to have interest from the FAANGS – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google – with backing from bankers, JP Morgan.

Numbers crunched into eye-popping sums from global television and, yes, they had a broadcaster lined up.

The Super League idea had been around for decades, but Covid-19 brought its introduction forward. With even the Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, suffering from lack of gate money along with Juventus, they decided to strike last Sunday.

We know the rest but what amazes even now is the ignorance. Although all had been involved in English football for many years, they just didn’t get it – its ethos, excitement or romance. They didn’t expect such fierce resistance, either.

Henry had famously said when he bought the club in 2010: “Liverpool were a mystery to me. I knew virtually nothing about English football.”

It appears they are still a mystery and his knowledge of the game alarmingly scant despite all the trophies they’ve won. He is also famous for mis-steps and apologies, but this one won’t be accepted.

The same with the other absentee owners, the Glazers, while Kroenke is even more reclusive, seen at Arsenal a little more often than Halley’s Comet.

Their absences are telling and sinister. Joe Lewis, the billionaire Tottenham owner based in the tax haven of the Bahamas, has never attended a game while Sheikh Mansour has seen Manchester City play once.

Only Roman Abramovich seems to even like football but he’s been barred because of Britain’s diplomatic spat with Russia.

Clearly, the rest are only interested in profit. The Guardian’s Johnny Liew went as far as to say “they don’t like the game” as a way of explaining what they did.

But one promise they did keep was to “deliver excitement and drama never before seen in football”.

Last week was dramatic, alright, except none of the excitement was on the field. Off it, they got a thrashing.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.