The 2010/11 soccer season will go down in history as one of the most exciting ever for Ghanaian followers of the European game, especially those who followed the ebb and flow of the various leagues on Multi TV. Multi TV’s European soccer Franchises include UEFA’s Champions League and Europa League, the Italian Serie A and the German Bundesliga. From weekly previews, through the live telecast of matches, to highlights and magazine shows, Multi TV presented a soccer season worth a king’s ransom, churning out an exciting series of pre-and post-match discussions that offered unparalleled insight into league matches that thrilled soccer fans on Joy Sports and Adom TV alike. UEFA Champions League For those who swear by Barcelona and Manchester United, the icing on the cake is the season-ending dream UEFA Champions League final slated for the historic Wembley Stadium in England, on Saturday, May 28, 2011, live on Joy Sports and Adom TV, at 6:45pm, preceded by a pre-match discussion at 6:00pm. With critical interest in the local Premier League at an all-time low, Multi TV’s broadcast of live soccer action from the top European leagues and competitions is what spiced up the season for many a Ghanaian fan. It has been a season full of excitement and fireworks, laughter and tears; controversies and heroics, surprises et al; all in all, a season that has seen, arguably, the two best clubs in the world set up a date with destiny, in one of the most explosive Champions League finals in recent history. Exit Inter Milan and Bayern Munich of the 2009/2010 final; enter Manchester United and Barcelona in a clash that revisits the smouldering ashes of their epic clash in the 2008/2009 final, which saw Barca pip Man U 2 - 0 for UEFA’s Golden Fleece. This time round, all roads lead to Wembley in a quest for a Man U revenge pitched against the pursuit of a Barca head-to-head consolidation. This is the highpoint of the story of a season-long soccer experience, well and truly enjoyed by Ghanaian soccer fans who thronged the various pubs, bars and community parks around the country to watch the live telecast of the matches on Joy Sports and Adom TV, in what was aptly dubbed the MULTI TV BIG SCREEN EXPERIENCE. Along the way, there were some electrifying Champions League matchups that pitched Manchester United against Chelsea in the quarter final, and Barcelona against Real Madrid in the semi-final; made all the more unforgettable because of the sizzling rivalry between the two pairs of clubs in their local respective leagues. While Chelsea finished the season with no silverware, Real Madrid consoled themselves with the Copa Del Rey, which they brazenly snatched from Barca in a final that was one of four El Classico clashes within 18 days. In England neither Man U nor Chelsea made the FA Cup Final, a diadem that was annexed by Manchester City who beat stoke City 1 - 0. Like the promo on Multi TV says, “. . . the Road to Wembley is clear of the pretenders and the contenders are ready for battle . . .” Now, Manchester United and Barcelona are inexorably set on a no-holds-barred collision course for Wembley in their respective quest for the illusive double, having missed out on England’s FA Cup and Spain’s Copa Del Rey respectively. When the dust settles, only one would have achieved that objective, there being no middle ground! UEFA Europa League The Europa League final also saw a changing of the guard: exit Atletico Madrid and Fulham, enter Porto and Braga. However, the ultimate fixture of the Europa League was rendered an anticlimax in a competition that saw favoured clubs fall by the wayside; just you name them: Liverpool, Manchester City, Napoli, Ajax, Paris St Germain, Sevilla, and Bayer Leverkusen, they all were pulverised in the heat of Europe’s second most prestigious competition. The 2009/2010 final between Atletico Madrid and Fulham generated more interest than this season’s finale. Seven seasons after conquering Europe with an emphatic 3 – 0 drubbing of AS Monaco with Jose Mourino at the helm, Porto beat Braga in an all-Portuguese final in Dublin to capture the 2010/2011 Europa League title. The live broadcast of the season’s European matches on Multi TV was on Joy Sports and Adom TV channels simultaneously, with separate pre-match discussions: English on Joy Sports, and Twi on Adom TV complemented with commentary in the same language. German Bundesliga In Germany, Borussia Dortmund toppled Bayern Munich, who were top of last season’s Bundesliga, to 3rd place this year, consigning the celebrated club to reliance on a playoff to qualify for the last Champions League slot next season. Bayer Leverkusen picked up the second Champions League automatic slot, coming in 2nd. Hannover 06 and Mainz placed 4th and 5th respectively to qualify for the Europa League next season. Borussia Monchengladbach hang by the skin of their teeth, needing a play-off to guarantee their continued stay in the Bundesliga, while Eintracht Frankfurt, once bolstered by former Ghanaian international Tony Yeboah, trip into the doldrums of Bundesliga relegation alongside St Pauli who, after just a season in the German top flight, slip back into oblivion. Italian Serie A In a season full of drama right to the very end, the Italian Serie A also saw a change at the summit, with Ghanaian Kevin Prince in the thick of AC Milan affairs, helping to oust their perennial Milan rivals and last season’s Serie A and Champions League winners, Inter Milan. The two are joined by Napoli and Kojo Asamoah’s Udinese in the Champions League next season. At the other end of the table, Sampdoria, Brescia and Bari are condemned to tier two of Serie A next season. Of Men In Golden Boots Of all the players on the European stage this season, none has mesmerised the soccer connoisseur more than Lionel Messi, a superstar whose mercurial performances for Barca both at home in the La Liga and the Champions League justified his billing as the world’s best player. That he eclipsed Real Madrid’s immensely talented poster boy, C Ronaldo is not in doubt, except for the last gasp flurry of goals that fetched the latter the golden boot in the La Liga. The Season Finale Saturday, 28th May 2011 is the day of judgement, for, all hell will break lose as Barca invade Wembley to take the battle to Manchester United, but as the saying goes, “to be forewarned is to be forearmed.” Man U lie in wait for the Catalans, licking wounds inflicted by Barca two seasons ago, ready to unleash Armageddon on the Spanish Champions. This matchup defies the old adage that “when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers . . .” For once, the grass will enjoy the battle royale from a safe distance, captured live on Multi TV. Book your ringside seats on Joy Sports and Adom TV! By Frederick Isaac Amoah/Multi TV/Ghana