Abby Brammell

Scandal: John Terry's actions are beyond the pale


Should there be a World Cup for moral turpitude and mismanagement, the English Football Association would win every time.

During its unedifying history, the organisation has rightly become a byword for cowardice, buck-passing, poor judgment and lack of leadership.

The John Terry scandal fits this pattern.

With his sleazy record of moneygrabbing, brawling and womanising, he was always a dubious choice for the leadership of the national side.

Now, his position is completely untenable. Even in the amoral world of modern football - ruled by cash and sexual conquest - Terry's actions are beyond the pale.

Yet even now, in the face of all the evidence of Terry's unfitness for his position, the FA still refuses to act. In a typical abdication of responsibility, the association's bureaucrats are reported to have passed the decision about the player's future to the England coach, Fabio Capello.

Of course, the issue is of concern to Capello, particularly in the build-up to this year's World Cup in South Africa. But the truth is this scandal is much more important than simply what happens on a football pitch.

This pathetic failure by the ruling authority to act decisively feeds the corrupting belief that there is no moral dimension to sport and that players' conduct off the field is a matter of complete irrelevance.

But the truth is that this outlook is unsupportable in an age where the game has such an overblown influence on our national life. It is no exaggeration to say that football has almost become the religion of our secular age, worshipped by millions of impressionable youngsters.


source: dailymail