John Terry Retirement Fiasco

(Picture Credit: Wikimedia)

(Written 25\9\2012 in Yorkshire)

Top England defender John Terry has announced his retirement from our national football team. He says his position in the side is untenable because the FA are making him undergo a trial for allegedly making racist comments. Should this ever have happened?

England Manager Roy Hodgson is still serving his apprenticeship. Being currently short of defenders, he needs all the help he can get from his employers, the English FA. So what have they done? They have put former Captain and rock-solid defender John Terry on trial for alleged racial abuse of QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

Don’t expect an unbiased account on this from me. Nor would you get an objective view from the supporters of Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester United etc. –who all hate his guts. They claim that he is arrogant, selfish, immoral and God knows what. I don’t see this myself. If you want arrogance try Chelsea ex-player Didier Drogba. I loved Drogba for his swashbuckling style, but I’d hate to face him in a fight down a dark alley.

As for morality, that’s about Terry having an affair with a team-mate’s girlfriend. Of course, footballers are generally highly moral: just ask Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs!

John Terry is an icon

John Terry is a hero to most Chelsea and England fans. As an iconic figure he is not too far from David Beckham’s level. John is a fearless defender who leads by example. He is simply great. Sure, Terry is getting long in the tooth now, and is not blessed with much pace, but his reading of the game remains world-class.

I say this as a Leeds United supporter who only forgave Chelsea their lucky 1970 FA Cup Final win over us in the l990s or thereabouts. But I love Chelsea now because they are a top threat against “Them” – Manchester United!

Terry innocent by law

It has not escaped my notice that John Terry was cleared of racial abuse in July by an English court of Law. For the FA to pursue the case again is ludicrous. My paranoid side wonders whether Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand put his brother up to this so that he (Rio) could claim the England captaincy. But then I recall it was an off-duty policeman who lip-read Terry on video and reported the matter in the first place. To be fair, Anton did not seem too keen to pursue this. And Terry had black team-mate Ashley Cole in his corner throughout this whole fiasco.

Indeed when Anton refused to shake hands with John recently, Ashley blanked Anton. In a similar situation, Evra (Man U) did shake hands with Saurez (Liverpool) last weekend.  In my view handshakes all round should have settled both these disputes on the day of each match. After all, I’m sure I have to take it on the chin if called “White Trash”, “Limey” or whatever.

Will England miss John Terry? Why of course. Has Hodgson dashed to Rio for help? Course not.

Paul Butters

Tags:      John Terry, England football team, manager Roy Hodgson, racism in football, Chelsea, Ashley Cole, football rivalry, Anton Ferdinand