When the news spread in the boardrooms and some Asian troubled officials felt that the European Super League project was beginning to come to an end, its true meaning could be seen - appropriately - on the streets and among the people.
After the sudden silence, thousands of Chelsea supporters gathered around Stamford Bridge to protest the plan. Shortly before 7 p.m., word spread that the club was preparing to withdraw from the project.
The reaction was to see. It was celebrated like any other purpose, but it was really more than that. It was a victory.
It's a testament to the power of the fans, with Manchester City and Chelsea so convinced by the sentiments of their own supporters.
It was also the beginning of one of the most extraordinary hours of the game, a storm of thrilling developments that stunned for three days.
The city quickly removed Chelsea from the project, with the rest of the English club collapsing four hours later. Ed Woodward has resigned as Manchester United's executive vice chairman, and other Super League figures are considering what will happen next. There is a lot of pressure on some people now, at least on primary protesters like Andrea Agnelli and Florentino Perez.
The onset of guilty feelings about having the affair, in the first place, further zaps whatever energy the partner having the affair might still have left. Sources say the Super League was deliberately launched on Sunday - around new Champions League announcements - to create "maximum embarrassment" especially for UEFA. The irony of it. Happily, some of football's most oppressed big clubs, as well as its most disgusting and ugly personalities, have suffered immense humiliation. This is worse than any defeat on the pitch, any "6-1". This time, the big clubs didn't find their way.
The tumultuous journey from the breakaway to the breaking point actually began last evening.
The scale and tactics of what was close to a complete condemnation of the plan led some officials to a real defeat. It has even been a rare issue that "unites the British Parliament 100%".
The obvious question is, what exactly did they expect? This alone reflects the most important events and misunderstandings of the project.
One source said, "I thought it would be bad," but it's off the charts.
Later on Monday, there was no doubt that Mr. Perez was the target of a TV victory, and he sowed the seeds of defeat.
Some officials in the Super League 12 were surprised by the tone of the Real Madrid president, even some of his words. Among the few liars, Mr. Perez claimed that Paris Saint-Germain was not invited. A number of sources insist that they were not only invited but also given "cajoled", "lobby" and "pressure".
The same was true of Bayern Munich, and the fact that he issued a second statement on Tuesday reiterated that rejecting his plan was another growing issue for the Super League.
This explanation refers to the absence of "European". It was really a three-nation league, and the 12 people in it were rapidly becoming isolated. Many knew that Mr. Perez needed a "conciliatory" tone, away from the slightest rudeness. Because a very important place was missing in most of the narratives.
The Super League - regardless of anything - will eventually require permission from FIFA or UEFA. It was an inevitable fact, sinking well into some of the clubs involved. That is why UEFA has always had full confidence that it will fail.
Just 48 hours after the announcement, the long journey to the Super League has not been easy. Some people involved in the project began to realize the need for more positive public relations, but key figures were not interested in speaking in public.
Walking with everyone else was a great act of cowardice.
Concerns were growing, though, and not just in England. Officials from Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were also taken aback by the price.
His words came back to UEFA, and sources believe that this is what caused a drastic change in his head on Tuesday morning.
Alexander Saffron offered the olive branch and the way back. It was clearly removed from Monday's fire and brimstone. "The important thing is that you still have time to change your mind," the UEFA president said.
It was around this point that the media began to report all these suspicions, which forced some Super League sources to insist that no, no one was changing their mind.
He was adamant that everyone was 100% committed, "full steam ahead", "the rest they are ready for it". There was even talk of making it impossible for clubs to go legally because of the agreements reached here, and how many losses it could cause.
The initial legal order in Madrid, which also barred UEFA and FIFA from launching the launch, was cited.
There was a development in London, though, that was more than likely from a legal point of view.
Boris Johnson, motivated by his particular popular populist opportunism and - his entire parliamentary support - more importantly - called on English football officials to give him full support when it comes to legislation. Will Mr. Johnson asked the Premier League and the EFL what restrictions were available on them. When he said and did everything, including the exclusion of six from the Premier League, he asked if he would use it.
The answer at the time was "no" because legal action could be opened under competition law. Mr. Johnson's response was that he would drop the "legislative bomb". Many sources have suggested that if there is a provision in the competition law that prohibits clubs from being expelled, it will use all its power to eliminate it.
The possible expulsion of six of England's biggest clubs from the Premier League was being seriously considered at the time. He even thwarted many new financial plans before he started. Some sources within the English Big Six say that the speed and power of government intervention was very influential. "That's when it really changed." That's why the Premier League's 11 a.m. meeting created a sense of confidence, a milestone in itself involving only 14 stakeholders. It used to be seen as incredible, but here the trust between the two groups has been strengthened.
While the protests of the fans just continued, and with more and more pressure, unrest among the players is increasing.
The possibility of a World Cup ban was a much more serious issue than some club officials had expected. The players were very upset. It then only showed the extent to which the whole project is in line with the reality of the game.
Meanwhile, club management and legal teams were pressuring sponsorship agreements, trying to work out the implications. None of these paths proved to be clear and complex, which only added to the difficulties. Sponsors were unannounced.
In boardrooms and internet meetings, since then, the debate has been growing. The conversation was getting more and more feverish. Chelsea's stats began to speak of a "toxic effort" that contradicted their social work as a club, as well as the immense potential for irreparable damage to reputation.
Super League sources emphasized the "strength" of the body behind the project, but others spoke of the lack of substance behind it. The fact is that in just 48 hours it has spread as much as it is humorous as it hints. The whole "launch" ended the feeling of amateurism. The founder is believed to have had 15 members with only 12 names. The level of detail was pathetic. Some people refer to it as a little more than "massive refinancing for about five clubs". Many people pointed to the problems of Real Madrid.
A Premier League club source complained, "Why is the rest of football financing him," when a major figure owes his club millions of pounds? "
Chelsea and City were just reaching a logical conclusion. It was inevitable, and not worth fighting for. Other clubs should have felt the same way, but City and Chelsea made their return inevitable. The amazing end of the Super League can still take others along.
Mr Perez has been publicly humiliated, with the worst being because a moment of television confinement saw him basically admitting that Madrid was in big financial trouble. Another self-defeating claim is that his position at the club is unavailable, but the pressure is mounting outside. Its authority has been revoked. Mr. Agnelli's big hand was no more than a blur.
Other footballers are openly talking about whether it will sell to Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur.
After a long-term desire, the Super League has always hovered on the game, always on the horizon. Many people thought that this was the ultimate goal of some owners. The threat of a Super League has conditioned the game for decades in precise and important ways, as many crunch meetings have bowed to it. Now its power is gone. This in itself is a very important development. Long-held threats can never be used again. These cards were played, and in the end, there was nothing but laughter. The idea has lost its credibility for some time to come - through not forever
This is another facet of the situation. The structural inequality that led to the development of these super clubs, and the path of the Super League has not changed.
The re-formatting of the Champions League at his request will only make the problem worse.
But this is not the only development among them. Given JP Morgan's affiliation fees, the financial cost for 12 will be expensive. The Premier League could well be banned, as the six have violated Rule L9, barring members from participating in unapproved competitions. The other 14 have been encouraged in the meantime, and have found common ground with the EFL and the wider football pyramids. On top of that, Break 12 no longer has the same effect in the European Club Association or UEFA. Has resigned. Rotation is lost. Authority is shattered.
This points to perhaps the most significant change.
Some of football's most selfless figures are talking about how it finally overcame the huge push for reform. Only in England is the political will of the German system.
"A Super League is terrible for football and could ruin the game," a source said. "Although from a reform agenda point of view, that's great."
Some have been tapped. This crisis has made people aware of the deep worries that have brought this game to the brink of almost irreversible change. Politicians - for now, are well aware of the need to protect clubs as social institutions and may continue to do so in the future.
That was the main problem here. A lace-fair embrace of the ultra-capitalist system allowed a group of clubs to grow to the point where they were appealing to interests. .
This was the reason why the history and future of the game could be ended by a small group of owners, who made everyone else feel completely helpless.
At Stamford Bridge, the wide game regained its strength. There was a sense of revolution here, even if some say it could be the Arab Spring.
Whatever the future, it fully reveals the true spirit of the game and the sectarian power that really drives it. The pyramid, the game, has been united.
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