Players get Hammered
Even those who love football find it difficult to defend the game this week.
Repeated revelations of barbaric behaviour by some of the most gifted players in the country threaten to bring the entire sport into disrepute.
The publicity surrounding Leeds United's odious Lee Bowyer should have acted as a warning to other players to avoid landing themselves in trouble, at least for a few days. Yet today we report that several West Ham players went on a drunken binge on Tuesday and were thrown out of a West End nightclub after an exhibition of animal behaviour.
Footballers are not the only people who drink too much and behave badly in the days before Christmas. But highly paid athletes worshipped by their fans must be reminded that they are role models to millions of young people. Leeds United's players and fans have this week compounded their shame by staging extravagant displays of support for Lee Bowyer.
In the light of this sort of thing, perhaps we should be grateful if no national football stadium gets built.
