Kevin Palmer: We have been given a timely reminder that winning means more

Sunday World

26-05-2025

Social media has polluted our lives negatively in recent years, but it can provide a platform to capture glimpses of moments to savour and the images emerging from Wembley last Saturday evening were enchanting on so many levels.
As Crystal Palace won their first major trophy with a victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, fans who have supported the club their entire lives realised they had witnessed their greatest moment and they did it alongside 30,000 more who were also coming to terms with this joyous reality.
The mobile phone videos of husbands and wives embracing as their 50-year journey with Palace was building towards this moment took place at the same time as young boys who had only supported Palace for a few years were hugging their Dads in embraces that will live with them forever.
It is a collective euphoria that heightens the emotion for those fortunate enough to experience it.
Many supporters of a club like Crystal Palace see it as a labour of love and they don't expect it to witness trophy-winning moments, but following Tottenham should be different.
Tottenham striker Richarlison celebrates with joyful fans following their side's Europa League Final success
Here is a club that redefined English football with their iconic 1961 Double winning team playing a brand of passing football that was ahead of its time, with their story since then illuminated by some of the games greats as Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne, Gareth Bale and Harry Kane have strived to put Spurs on the path to glory.
Yet moments of trophy-winning success have so often eluded them in recent years, with fans who have been forced to accept the odd top four finish as 'success' growing tired of their annual diet of near misses.
The expansion of the Champions League and the money it generates for the teams that qualify each year has become an obsession for clubs across Europe, but fans did not start their supporting adventure with an ambition of seeing their team finish fourth in the league.
They want to be there when the players they have invested their hopes and dreams in are presented with a trophy confirming they are winners and after a 17-year wait, that's what Tottenham fans got as their team beat Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
Once again, images quickly began to flow on social media of Tottenham fans crying their hearts out as Spurs captain Son Heung-min lifted the trophy high into the Spanish night sky, with the celebrations in their home stadium back in North London equally euphoric.
Tens of thousands of seats were filled as Spurs fans who couldn't make it to Spain watched the match on big screens at the club's home ground and once again, tears were shed by young and old as the final whistle sounded.
This is what sport is all about.
Forget about the bank balances of Premier League football clubs as they hand out bumper bonuses to their directors when the team qualify for the Champions League or has a good boost in annual profits from the sales of tickets for a Beyonce concert at their stadium.
Supporters want more than that and thankfully, this was the week when the moment of genuine victory was celebrated once again.
Manchester City's dominance of all competitions in English football contributed to the demise of the scenes we have seen over the last few days, with the poorly attended trophy parades organised for Pep Guardiola and his players suggesting their fans saw winning as an expectation rather than a novelty.
All that has changed this season and it was a boost for the English game that Newcastle won their first domestic trophy since 1955 when they lifted the Carabao Cup and staged a euphoric trophy parade.
Crystal Palace fans celebrate after Eberechi Eze goal during the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium
It was fantastic to see the Palace players partying with their fans after their memorable Wembley win and a delight to witness jubilant Spurs supporters who started to doubt that they would ever see their team win a trophy again finding their voices after in their trophy parade on Friday.
Today, it's the turn of Liverpool to celebrate their Premier League title win, with captain Virgil van Djik set to be presented with the trophy at Anfield after this afternoon's game against Palace and a lavish trophy parade planned for what is a public holiday in England on Monday.
The streets of Liverpool will be lined with Reds fans who were denied the chance to celebrate their most recent Premier League title win due to the Covid pandemic, with the memories of days like this lasting a lifetime.
We tend to be introduced to sport by our parents and the bond created from my days sitting next to my Dad at Tottenham in the 1980s and 90s formed the bond that glues us together to this day.
I was nine when I sat with my Dad at the old White Hat Lane as Spurs captain Graham Roberts lifted the UEFA Cup in 1984 and despite my tender years, I can still remember the vantage point high in the East Stand as Tony Parkes saved the winning penalty in the shoot-out against Anderlecht.
We were there when they won the FA Cup against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest at Wembley in 1991 and there again when they came up short time and again in recent years.
There are times when you are tempted to give up. You wonder how much more disappointment you can take.
Then you have a moment like Wednesday night and it means so much more because of all that has gone before.
Whether your sport is soccer, GAA or rugby, the moment your team wins a trophy is one that is instantly etched into your mind for so many reasons.
Not because the club's owners have boosted their coffers, but because you were there with the people who matter most to you when the final whistle sounded and your team were declared as champions.
That is what sport is all about and we have been given a timely reminder of the joy it can bring after a week of celebrations./