The Public Persecution of John Terry

If it were fiction, it would have been criticised for being all too clichéd…

John Terry’s headed winner on his darkest of days opened the floodgates to much poetic prose reflecting on his stoicism and character. But such languid observations failed miserably to add any gloss to this complicated and wretched mess.

Whilst vital to Chelsea’s title assault, Terry’s goal simply added a new twist to the plot of yet another tabloid soap opera featuring a high-profile footballer. And with Wayne Bridge declaring himself unwilling to join the same England squad as Terry, the story is set to run and run.

The ever ironic moral high-ground taken by the tabloid press over the weekend leaves behind a bitter aftertaste. Yes, the crux of their editorial may be correct. But who has ever needed a rocket scientist (or indeed a headline writer) to tell them that infidelity is wrong?

The revelations won’t have exactly rocked the public’s perception of amoral footballers, but for many reasons they are still incredibly sad. Here is a man blessed with talent, wealth, a beautiful young family, but apparently no self-control. Yet even in the light of his alleged sins, shouldn’t we afford the England captain some privacy?

The editors who printed this story will argue that Terry deserves to be publically exposed for his misdemeanours. But do his wife, children and Wayne Bridge deserve the humiliation and embarrassment of the affair being played out in front of millions?

Unfortunately, this type of story is fuelled by a public intrigue that is impossible for the tabloid press to ignore. The millennium has seen the moral compass well and truly discarded in favour of quenching the never-ending thirst for celebrity scandal. If there was a slim chance of Terry saving his marriage, the publication of the story has probably killed it. However, one suspects this barely crossed the mind of the iron-stomached individuals who gave it the green light.

Regardless of his behaviour, the calls for Terry to be stripped of the England captaincy are bordering on ridiculous. For starters, Fabio Capello is the ultimate pragmatist who rightfully knows that removing the captaincy would harm England’s World Cup bid. Such a stance would send out a message of lost faith in the player, which would ultimately damage the confidence of his best defender.

It is impossible not to feel for Wayne Bridge, who has been placed in an untenable position by the whole affair. But harsh as it may seem, he will now have to choose to either get past his differences with Terry or face missing the World Cup.

Those calling for Terry’s metaphorical impeachment are doubtless having their judgement clouded by Big Brother withdrawal symptoms. Although he has a degree of public responsibility as England captain, he is hardly the Prime Minister or Pope. It is a miserable state of affairs when a man in Terry’s privileged position fails to present a good role model for those who look up to him. One day he may look back with regret at this missed opportunity. But in spite of this, he is a professional footballer. As long as he performs this role to the required level, the mistakes which litter his personal life should have no bearing.

However, it is worth mentioning that a saga of this magnitude could well affect professional performance. It’s easily forgotten that David Beckham’s sharp decline in form coincided exactly with his alleged affair with Rebecca Loos. Although he eventually managed to recover to play at a good standard, he never quite reached the world class levels that he exhibited prior to the story.

Marital breakdown is considered one of the most traumatic experiences an individual can face. It’s difficult to quantify just how much the emotional turmoil is compounded when it’s played out in public. For the sake of all involved I hope the story dies soon.