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Over the past month, the British public has been subjected to none stop conjecture over the future of John George Terry and the England football team captaincy. Well, fortunately for those debating his capacity for the job and moral conviction, a decision has been made. After arriving back in England after knee surgery recuperation, Fabio Capello pulled the trigger on Terry’s captaincy.It’s important to state the details of Terry’s proposed indiscretions with a teammate’s wife are still purely allegations at this point. However, many feel that Terry’s attempts to place an injunction on the media is proof enough to warrant his dismissal from his England captain duties. This goes against the very foundation of our legal system, innocent until proven guilty. It is clear that this is no legal case, but that only furthers the counter argument to taking action against Terry. He hasn’t actually done anything illegal; morally dubious, but legal nonetheless.
This highlights the major issue in British society’s outrage to this whole affair; their expectations. Just like celebrities, the British public enjoy building up hero sportspeople, just to knock them down again. However, sportspeople aren’t programmed to enjoy publicity, both good and bad. Professional footballers should not be the moral compass that guide our nation’s youth, or we are heading for disaster. I love football as much as anyone, but it’s clear from headline after headline that there’s no one member of the England team less morally bankrupt than Terry or any other star player.
So who does Capello chose as a replacement? Rio Ferdinand. The same Rio Ferdinand that was banned for 8 months for failing to take a mandatory drugs test (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/3333091.stm) and has also been banned from driving four times in 8 years, with a judge stating “"He is a role model and should be a positive role model for young people in society and this does not give out the right message." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2360175/Ferdinand-handed-driving-ban.html). This isn’t meant to demonstrate anything about Rio Ferdinand but to show the hypocrisy of replacing the pot with the kettle. Britain shouldn’t expect young, overpaid athletes with beautiful women throwing themselves at them to be a shining light of morality for the youth today. It should be the parents, siblings and teachers who show the adults of tomorrow how to behave.
TO
Fabio had the perfect opportunity to be unlike every other England manager, and not Cowtow to the tabloids, he could have made a statement, sticking 2 fingers up at them, and sent the message that he wont let any non football issue become a circus.... but he bottled it, he gave them what they wanted, and thus in a peverse way, he lost control to the media at the same time as he gained some mythical control in the dressing room.
ReplyDeleteThe pigs of fleet street win again.
Van Mc
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/340617-john-terry-ousted-because-hes-not-jesus-christ
ReplyDeleteGood article.
Maradona is an excellent example, in the 80's everyone at the AFA knew he was a cokehead, adulterer(even had another kid while at naples with another womaan), there were rumors of his tax evasion back then, not to mention his alcohol and painkiller problems.
Never once was any idea mooted about him losing his captaincy, because in Argentina they saw him as a footballer.
They forget these kinds of things once the national anthem plays, and Argentina is a deeply cathlolic country , just like Italy, they know what it means to be human and that everyone has faults, Somehow I doubt any of the tabloid editors go to church every sunday.
Other countries are laughing at us, because our so called leaders show so much weakness to the media pressure.
Mutu just failed his 2nd drug test, yet is still Romania captain, I could go on and on.
I dont buy Bruschis point about Capello not giving a fig about the press, this was the same bloke who was in charge of Galacticos at Madrid, in an era where clubbing and all sorts of naughties were common, He always turned a blind eye then, its only now that he has been swayed by media pressure
as for him being a devout religious man, so is lippi and yet he said nothing when matterazi clearly overreacted to help Italy win a world cup.
Its often said that a nation gets the captain it deserves, Terry was a flawed man , but a leader, a Napolean , if you will.
With the tabloids running the team, we now have Dan Quayle as our captain.
Despite all this, captain is seen as a small thing , I mean how many have Argetina had in 5 or 6 years? Sorin,Ayala, Zanetti, Veron,Mascherano..Sure I have left out a few.
But thats only cos they dont see it as being of extreme importance, the main thing is to have leaders all over the pitch and a manager who doesnt give a toss about external rumors.
Wish we could have the same.
Van Mc
Micheal Ballack ... Criticised his own national team manager in public !! saying he wasnt respecting the older players enough.
ReplyDeleteJoachin Lowe handled it brilliantly, he told Ballack he had to apologise and even when Ballack did so, made him fly to Germany to do it in person.( I think he also dropped him for the next game)
Which situation would have caused more of a divide? I think the German one is far worse than a few lads squabbling over a woman. Lowe was in danger of losing control with a divide between the young/old players, so he nipped it in the bud and retained his captain , his leader, and his control, All without listening to the media( some sections of which wanted Ballack to lose his job) The same sections that cant get Past an East German born player being captain of a Unified Germany.
Capello said he wanted to improve the psycology of the team when he took over, well they are not doing very well if they have let something so trivial divide the team.
Capello was played like a violin by the media.He could have easily done a Joachim and taken Terry's captaincy away for a couple of games. Why does our press make it so hard for our own players?
RUN VMC !!
Vann, if you keep this up I'll have to give you 'Vanns Corner' hahah
ReplyDeleteTO
I think every one is clearly hating on Fabio here he's made the right decision and this is why...
ReplyDeleteIts not about what he actually did, cause liek you said rio has a bad record as does the next in line steven gerrard! Its the fact he did this to another England squad player... I men wayne bridge will have friends in the squad as does JT and a split will definitely happen..Imagine this was you and your captain was preaching to you about the team playing would you even want to hear what he's saying? I reckon Capello has done the right thing JT has caused a line to be drawn in the England dressing room....Now that ashley cole might not make it to the world cup it makes it even more interesting.