So, Barcelona won the Champions League, Thierry Henry fluffed a few good opportunities to bring the Cup home and hundreds of accountants in London left dining halls early to watch it all happen. It would seem that those who attended the annual dinners of the ICAEW and CIPFA did rush off with some enthusiasm to watch events unfolding in Paris, much the same as happenings at last year’s ICAEW’s bash, which also clashed with club football’s showpiece event.

Luckily for the respective institutes, the Gunners did not follow Liverpool’s example and comeback from 3-0 down at half-time forcing extra time and penalties, so the guest speakers still had an audience to address. Still, let’s hope that the organisers of next year’s annual dinners have a peek at the Champions League fixture list before booking out the Grosvenor.