Football's Broad Shoulders

[foggy dewhurst 0]

i wonder what would have happend if terry would have appeared before the fa first and got his fine and ban then went to a court of law and got cleared .

[GovanAllan 0]

On another note Footballers have to remember that their actions on the park are soaked up like a dry sponge by the youngsters these days. If any of you have a chance get down to your local council pitch some weekend and take in a kids game, you will see Refs getting mobbed after a decision, down right dissent, and players throwing themselves about at the least contact to get a foul/pen. It really is like watching a mini version of MOTD.

[D'Artagnan 173]

Strong stuff Andy, well written. Well done.

 

The increasing 'importance' of football in the media in particular has been unhealthy for a while, the Terry/Ferdinand incident is simply another example of it. The FA's stance on the racism the England team has encountered at certain away games really compelled them to do something in this case lest they be accused of hypocrisy. Terry's position as England captain, a 'job' that still carries considerable clout and indirect financial reward also meant they couldn't be seen to ignore it.

That means the case was given far more scrutiny than a similar case featuring say Div 3 players would have been.

 

However football has courted the media, indeed it's now totally reliant on it, someone like Terry has become a multi-millionaire from the largesse of broadcasting, in reality he works for them. That being the case I've little sympathy for someone who behaves like it's the 1970s, he should understand what his job entails, every aspect of it.

 

Absolutely AMMS.

 

The media role is worthy of a discussion thread on its own. If we continue with the comparison to sectarianism its interesting to note that Prof Steve Bruce was particularly critical of them and the lack of responsibility for accurate reporting which caused a perception the problem was far greater than it was.

 

Having heard some of the evidence from the Levison enquiry, its frightening to consider that these people of such low moral or professional integrity, play such a pivotal role in how public opinion and perception is formed.

[andy steel 0]

Its what happens Andy when you get two different standards of evidence to prove guilt.

 

The criminal court - Beyond Reasonable Doubt

 

The FA - Balance of Probabilities

 

But would have been interesting to have seen if the FA would have run with it had it merely be an assault charge for an off the ball incident with no racial element.

 

A very interesting point. You would have thought that the two levels of proof required wouldn't be that big a deal, but we can now see that since football is obliged to react to issues which would previously been entirely within the scope of the courts, their lesser standard might need to be revised. It seems bizarre that a court can find you not guilty of something and you are then punished the following week for the same offence.

 

If football is asked to be the moral arbiter of our society - even when I type such words it seems ridiculous, but there you are - it's going to have to come up with some absolute, hard and fast rules, and quickly.

[andy steel 0]

That means the case was given far more scrutiny than a similar case featuring say Div 3 players would have been.

 

Another excellent point! The rules will need to be for everyone, rather than just those who feature on Monday Night Football. But since at League Two level, the media coverage is far less, how would it be possible to apply those rules equitably?

 

The whole situation is a nightmare of epic proportions, the worst of which is that there is no solution to be found within football. The only way forward is for society to agree what is acceptable and what isn't - which changes all the time, sometimes you will agree and other times you won't, but at least you'll know where you stand - and for the law of the land to be used when people break those boundaries of the acceptable. None of this 'leaving it to the FA to sort out' cowardice.

[Zappa 0]

Having seen the fracas over the Orange strip, there has to be a concern that, in order to see us through the present hard times, we retreat into the ghetto as well.

 

My neural networks were gridlocked after reading that sentence.

[Zappa 0]

I also believe that the stricter policing is a result of the police wanting more money for policing matches, and therefore justifying their income by a higher public profile.

 

Spot on bb54. Strathclyde police were the major driving force behind the new "offensive behaviour" and "threatening communications" Bills. They deliberately misrepresented the scale of football related crimes and they did so primarily to get their budget increased.

 

The saddest aspect of the way the police have manipulated the whole thing is that because they've blown the scale of the issues out of proportion, they've then had to divert the attentions of more of their officers away from actually catching real criminals.

[andy steel 0]

My neural networks were gridlocked after reading that sentence.

 

It's not a good sentence. Your chastisement is quite justified.

[Zappa 0]

It's not a good sentence. Your chastisement is quite justified.

 

It reflects badly on me too that one sentence left me so speachless that after 10 mins of electrical surges bursting around my neural networks, all I could come up with was a smart arsed jibe!