Philip Kerr: Hand of God

As for me I could have said a lot about what happened in Athens to the mass of reporters at Heathrow but I hardly cared to spend any more time involving myself in the murky financial affairs that had prompted my resignation from London City. That was all behind me now and I felt as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Instead I chose to confine all of my remarks to football, which suited me a lot better. That’s the nice thing about football. There are moments in life when only football seems important. When everything else seems trivial and inconsequential and sometimes you think it’s probably the only reason why fields are flat, why grass is cut short and why gravity was invented. Besides, I honestly wouldn’t have known how to explain Greek sovereign national debt.

‘I didn’t resign to go and manage another football club,’ I told the waiting reptiles. ‘I didn’t resign because I wanted more money or more power to buy the players I wanted. I didn’t resign because of the Leicester City result or because we lost the first leg to Olympiacos in Athens. I didn’t even resign because the police chose to detain our whole team in Greece for no good reason. Contrary to the suggestions of some papers, I resigned because I had a profound difference of opinion with the owner of the club as to how it should be run but, with no disrespect to Mr Sokolnikov, that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who loves the game. After all, football is something about which a lot of men and women feel very passionately and sometimes that passion means that people find they can no longer work with each other. It’s as simple as that. It’s just the way the balls come out of the bag, right?

‘I wish everyone at Silvertown Dock every success. They richly deserved the result in Athens. On the whole, it was a privilege and a pleasure to work with all those guys and I like to think that many of them were also my friends. Still are, I hope. But most of all I’ll miss the fans. It’s them who are in my mind most of all. After the death of João Zarco they took me to their hearts and gave me their unqualified support. For which I humbly thank them.’

‘Scott?’ asked one of the reporters, ‘did your resignation have anything to do with the death of Bekim Develi?’

‘Yes, it did but only to the extent that it has made me re-examine my priorities. Bekim Develi was a man I liked and admired enormously. I think everyone did. As a result of that tragedy I’ve decided to focus on what’s important in my own life and what I want to achieve. I think that’s normal. I don’t think anyone should be surprised when someone chooses to make some life changes as a result of something awful like that. I’ve always been able to look after myself and really that’s just what this is now; me looking after myself.’

‘Since you mention looking after yourself,’ said another reporter, ‘perhaps you’d like to comment on the story in the Sun that you beat up two Englishmen on the Greek island of Paros. It’s rumoured they’re going to sue you. Did your resignation have anything to do with that?’

‘Was it only two geezers? I forget. Listen, I had a small falling out with some yobs who thought Bekim Develi’s death was a proper subject for comedy. At least that’s what the songs they were singing seemed to suggest. Maybe I don’t have a very good sense of humour, I don’t know, but if you ask me they both needed a bloody good hiding.’

‘What does the future hold for you, Scott?’

‘I’m not sure you were listening, friend. Which of us can honestly say what the future holds? Isn’t that what Bekim’s death tells us? That nothing is certain? After all he was only twenty-nine, for Pete’s sake. And that’s rather the point of what I was saying just now. So I don’t intend to go back into football management right away. Frankly, I’m not so sure that anyone would have me, anyway. I think maybe my half-time team talks are a bit more Gordon Ramsey than Henry the Fifth. My father has a sports apparel company and I’ll be spending a little more time helping him with that for the moment. But this is not to say I’ve fallen out of love with the game. Not at all. Football means everything to me.’

‘May I ask what your next move is going to be, Scott? Spain? Malaga? There’s a strong rumour that you’re going to take up a job in Spain. You do speak excellent Spanish.’

I sighed, grinned, and shook my head. ‘I also speak German, Italian and French. But it seems my English isn’t so good. Didn’t I already say I wasn’t immediately going back into management? However, since you asked so nicely, I will tell you what my next move is.’

I looked at Louise, smiled warmly, took her hand in mine and kissed it fondly.

‘It’s simply this. Me and my girlfriend, we’re going to walk down the King’s Road tomorrow afternoon and, if we can get tickets, we’re going to go to Stamford Bridge and watch Chelsea play Tottenham Hotspur. It has all the indications of being a cracker of a game. But for once I’m happy to say that I really don’t give a damn who wins.’