which one???

[matilda]

Dear all
Hello"
I have a grammatical question . shall we use a singular or plural verb , after the name of a football team?
I saw this sentence in the name of god the compassionate the merciful an article published by the" Chelsea F.C" and I wondered why they used all their verbs in the name of god the compassionate the merciful plural but not singular .
Thanks a million
Matilda

[Johan[@CLT]]

I think it depends on how you look at a football team. When you look at it as a thing then I use a singular verb but when you look at it as a group of people/players you use a plural form.
It is a same with companies. When you look at it as a thing or as a group of people working together and achieving their goal -> Company makes good profits.
I think that when it comes to a football team, the die-hard fans will go for the plural form because they want to stress the fact that it isn't just a thing and it is a group of players. I have been told that using the plural form is also more polite in a way, it's more formal.

Kind regards