Franz had actually wanted to establish a Holy Roman Empire football league, but he discovered that the course of history seemed to be somewhat off. The football he had long dreamed of promoting simply would not catch on; it was even branded as a barbaric sport imported from Britain.
This situation had something to do with Franz himself. Because Austria and Britain had been locked in a long-running war of words, Britain was seen as the absolute villain in the eyes of the Austrian Empire's elite at this time.
These people spontaneously spent their days boycotting everything connected to Britain, naturally including the decadent sport of football.
On the other hand, Vienna, as the center of the Holy Roman Empire, was hardly lacking in entertainment. With such a capital, and with Franz as emperor, the entertainment industry throughout the Holy Roman Empire was exceptionally developed.
Football simply could not rank among it. People had far more choices. Speaking of sports, cycling actually had the most participants.
The Tour of Germany Bicycle Grand Prix became the Tour of the Holy Roman Empire Grand Prix, but neither spectators nor participants cared much about that. After all, most people did not care about titles at all.
In truth, football's early promotion had not been smooth sailing either. Both on and off the field, it was utter chaos, and it more than lived up to its barbaric reputation.
Injuries were as commonplace as daily meals; every now and then, a few people even died.
Yes, died in the literal sense. Football at this time had absolutely nothing to do with the gentleman's sport advertised by the British.
Because Franz had introduced the betting system too early, fixed matches sprang up one after another. All manner of vicious incidents followed in an endless stream, and