James Shield: Sheffield United always get dropped on, but this is truly unfair

The Carlos Tevez Affair proved that. Without wishing to dredge up the whole shameful mess again, the response of the powers that be when it was discovered the Argentine and his compatriot Javier Mascherano weren’t eligible for selection at West Ham would have been markedly different had things been the other way around. Oh, and let’s not forget the shrug of the shoulders when United scored a goal against Aston Villa not so long back that was noticed by everyone inside the ground except the Hawkeye system.

But it’s a bit much when inequality deliberately gets woven into the fabric of the game. When a young lad from United’s academy got poached by Manchester City earlier this week, Pep Guardiola’s employers are likely to have paid next to nothing in compensation. Thanks to that wonderful thing called the Elite Player Performance Plan - a system which suggests, despite the fact three graduates of Bramall Lane’s development programme started last weekend’s World Cup tie between England and Senegal, only clubs with deep pockets or operating at Premier League level are capable of nurturing talent. Still, we can console ourselves with the fact that this country’s footballing behemoths have the best interests of the game at heart. Something they demonstrated, loud and clear, during their flirtation with the European Super League project. (Mark my words, we’ll be hearing about that again soon enough).

There are a whole host of reasons why it is so important United make it back to the highest level. One of those is that gaining promotion will, together with the handful of other teams up there who genuinely believe in antiquated ideas like fairness and equality, give them an opportunity to influence the sport’s decision making process. Because, as we’ll be reminded later today, if you’re not part of the elite then, in their eyes, you simply don’t count.

After impressing for the Senegalese in Qatar, Iliman Ndiaye began his journey back to South Yorkshire on Tuesday. Via Dakar. He might not be available to face Huddersfield Town this afternoon. He definitely wouldn’t have been if Aliou Cisse’s men had beaten the Three Lions. But even if Ndiaye does feature, is he going to be in any fit state to produce his scintillating best? Almost certainly not, given that he’ll be recovering from a 7,194 mile long journey.

Okay, so I get the Championship sent fewer representatives to the Middle East than the PL. I understand that its teams contest more matches too, and that the ‘three absetee’ ruled still applied.

But how is it right that the likes of United and Watford, who saw Ismaila Sarr called-up by Cisse, are asked to take part in matches which could have huge bearing upon their futures without their leading names? And would the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and City - none of whom are back in action until the whole FIFA shebang is over - have accepted a situation whereby they were effectively being punished for having top drawer players? I’ll leave you to answer that.