FOOTBALL'S GOING TO DROGS
Players think they are above rules of society
REFLECTING on his shameful abdication of duty during Chelsea's Champions League Final defeat, Didier Drogba was in rueful mood.
"I believe I should not have been sent off with three minutes to go. If I had punched him, I would have understood. Now I wish I had."
And so do I.
Because although I'm no ringside expert, my money would have been on Nemanja Vidic. And the return punch might just have knocked some sense into Drogba.
There is no intention here to demonise Drogba, who, in his autobiography - alongside details of his Moscow regrets - comes across as a man with a social conscience, keen to make a difference in his troubled homeland.
And the moron who threw the coin at him on Wednesday should be banned from football grounds for life. And prosecuted.
But Drogba's response was inexcusable and, in a tawdry week, just another example of what two decades of reporting on professional football has made painfully clear.
As men, these people are no more dishonourable or honourable than the next bloke.
As footballers, they seem to think the normal rules of society can go hang.
Which is why David Norris, of Ipswich Town, seemed to think it perfectly acceptable to make a handcuffs gesture to Luke McCormick, the drunk driver who sent two young boys to their death down a motorway embankment. And left their father in a wheelchair.
Which is why Chris Morgan - him of the 12 red cards and 64 yellows - appeared offended by a booking after his elbow left Ian Hume with a fractured skull, a spell in a high-dependency hospital unit and, as his manager Simon Davey said, thankful he was not on a mortuary slab.
The FA are investigating. If it happened on the streets, the Old Bill would have been investigating. Which is why the footballers' champion Gordon Taylor reacted indignantly to proposals that would subject his members to the same drug- testing rules as athletes and cyclists.
Privacy
"We feel that to invade the privacy of a player's home would be a step too far," declared the PFA chairman.
What? In the same way that glossy magazines - courtesy of a fat cheque - invade the privacy of a player's home?
The arrogance to believe that footballers should be immune from the stringent guidelines that govern other sports is breathtaking. Which is why referee Steve Bennett, referring to the plague of dissent, was moved to say these damning words.
"Away from the pitch, most of us would never fire such offensive verbal abuse at another human being. We would never act like ravenous animals smelling blood or remonstrating with frenzied and vulgar gestures."
The solution from the League Managers Association is to have one of their whingeing fraternity on the board of the referees governing body.
Managers should manage, players play and referees referee. Get on with it.
And which is why Cristiano Ronaldo wants a pay-rise.
Yes. Buried beneath this week's avalanche of slime was a statement from Gestifute, the agency run by Jorge Mendes that looks after Ronaldo's interests.
"It is normal that a footballer wants a deal to go with his status and one that matches his performances on the field. We do predict a meeting with Manchester United to speak about the future of Ronaldo."
It is believed Ronaldo's advisers want his dalliance with Real Madrid to be rewarded with a £150,000-a-week salary, 18 months after agreeing a five-year contract worth a pitiful £120,000-a-week.
Escape
Recession? What recession? Ten thousand people to be made redundant by BT? A million jobs under threat from the imminent collapse of General Motors? Fans selling season tickets on eBay? These things may as well be happening in another universe.
Footballers will always be indulged because when they perform on the field like they did in that magnificent spectacle at The Emirates last weekend - in which Ronaldo played a wonderful part - they provide an escape from everyday drudgery that is truly exhilarating.
But instead of basking in the warm afterglow of that game, we have been wallowing in mud. Sooner or later, reality has to bite.
In the previous edition of this newspaper, Nereida Gallardo, an ex of Ronaldo's, told how the finest player in the world was obsessed with his appearance.
Vain? Ronaldo? Who would have guessed?
"He's always walking around glancing at himself. His house is full of mirrors," she said.
Well, perhaps he has got one spare. Because it's about time football took a long, hard look at itself.
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FUMING FERGIE NOT ALL HOT AIR
IN THE interests of fairness, let me share a letter sent by a Mr D Finlay of Northampton.
As Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates 50 years in the game, Mr Finlay recalls a time when Ferguson took Manchester United to Northampton for an FA Cup game and visited a local hospital.
"My friend was there seeing his son who has severe learning difficulties and had just had an operation," recalls Mr Finlay.
"Sir Alex spotted them in a side room, went in and spent 20 minutes talking to them. Both were overwhelmed by his kindness but what my friend always remembered are the words Sir Alex said after they had said thank you.
" 'No, thank you,' " he said.
This column will continue to highlight the unacceptable dissent of Fergie on matchdays.
But - just as his magnanimous reaction to defeat against Arsenal showed - there is a top man beneath the angry exterior.
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THE REAL DEAL'S A REAL RIP-OFF
EVANDER HOLYFIELD'S recent announcement that, at the age of 46, he is to fight again was as unsurprising as it was unedifying.
Joe Calzaghe looked to be at the peak of his powers when he dismantled Roy Jones Junior in New York even if the American looked to be hurtling down time's unforgiving slope.
But the universally disdainful reaction to "The Real Deal" booking a date with Nikolai Valuev should tell Calzaghe one thing. Going on too long can turn a legend into a laughing stock.
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POULTER NEEDS MOORE DRIVE
JUST IN case you thought football had cornered the market in primped-up prima donnas, Ian Poulter (right) pulls out of the Singapore Open because someone had stolen his driver the previous week.
This is the man who claimed he was the only one who could realistically challenge the dominance of Tiger Woods.
That is the same Tiger Woods who won this year's US Open on one leg.
But I guess playing with a career-threatening knee injury is easier than playing with a new driver.
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ATTACK ON TREVOR BAA-MY
SIR TREVOR BROOKING was on the receiving end of what one newspaper described as a 'ferocious attack' from Lord Mawhinney.
Which reminded me of Dennis Healey's response when he was criticised by the Tory politician Geoffrey Howe.
"It's like being savaged by a dead sheep."
If anyone has any evidence of the ignoble Lord's expertise in the development of young footballing talent, please let me know.
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COWBOYS IN INDIA
INDIA warmed up by tackling the Aussies in a high-octane Test series.
England warmed up by sulking on sun-kissed Antigua because the man who put up twenty million bucks treated them as a plaything.
So was anybody really surprised by Friday's humiliation in Rajkot?
This article has 1 comment
Well said Andy but don't you think that not only footballers consider themselves above the law but all law breakers because of the stupidly soft sentencing by our so sensible judges and magistrates?
By Alan. Posted November 16 2008 at 12:01 PM.