MUST admit to being totally underwhelmed by the prospect of tomorrow’s beginning of another Football League season.

This is a sport whose business model simply does not bear examination, and where a scenario of cheating, and foul and abusive language prevails and the game’s administrators unable or unwilling to take the necessary corrective action.

When further considering the successive failures of our national side, the regular tabloid scandals associated with its so-called stars and the inevitable crowd problems, football has little left to recommend it.

What a contrast to another national sport, cricket, where our national side is on the cusp of achieving world number one Test status, and has just completed a comprehensive Ashes victory away from home.

Can anyone imagine a scenario in football where an original decision was reversed because the opposition agreed that the circumstances cast a shadow on the spirit of the game (Ian Bell’s Test Match dismissal on Sunday)?

The description “beautiful game” now so clearly belongs to our national summer sport of cricket, with little prospect that this will change in the future.

Martin Smith, Main Street, Elvington, York.