Monday, February 01, 2010

Don't They Have Anything Better To Do?

Are government ministers really such monumental control freaks that they believe they have the right to pick the England football team?

“On the field John Terry is a fantastic player and a good England captain,’’ said the Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, “but to be the captain of England you have got to have wider responsibilities for the country. If these allegations are proven it does call into question his role as England captain.
He seems to demand higher standards in the man leading a football team than in the man leading the country. He also appears to be unaware that FIFA explicitly ban governments from interfering in the affairs of member FAs, which is important if we are bidding for the 2018 World Cup.

Although John Terry probably does have to step down, because his affair was with the partner of a team mate, so I'd imagine he commands rather less trust & respect among his remaining team mates now.

5 comments:

Matthew said...

Didn't Tony Blair call for Glenn Hoddle's sacking?

When I read the NOTW on Terry it seemed that they were not saying his affair began whilst she was dating Bridge, although perhaps that was just my reading of it.

Ross said...

I had assumed it had begun then because the papers were talking of a rift between Terry & Bridge. If he had slept with Bridge's ex that might be uncomfortable but hardly a cause for a feud.

Matthew said...

It was this bit:

But the News of the World can reveal Terry has been bedding Vanessa TWICE A WEEK behind his wife's back since September.
...Wayne, 29, and Vanessa eventually split last summer after his move to City in January last year. So Terry began comforting the French model.

"It may have started as a bit of friendship and support as early as last January, but it quickly grew from there last September," said another source.

Mark said...

NuLab ministers just seem to follow the current obsessions of the commentariat. Remember Brown sticking his oar into the Shilpa Shetty/ Jade Goody contrived media firestorm ?

The furore over John Terry is just entrenching existing preferences; Columnists at the Mail (especially female ones) are saying he must go, while Rod Liddle's line at the Sunday Times (surprise surprise) is essentially 'What's the big deal ?'.

Ross said...

"Remember Brown sticking his oar into the Shilpa Shetty/ Jade Goody contrived media firestorm ?"

Yes, as well as the effortless manner in which he flipped his opinion of Jade Goody after she became ill.