by Mitchell Saitch
Many professional footballers are seen to be an ideal role model for younger teenagers and are now being criticised for their intolerable behaviour towards their social affairs with their adultery that is now seen to be ‘normal’. A government review raised concerns that the actions of pop musicians and footballers may be creating “norms” in behaviour for children and indicated that this review for the Department for Education would consider the issue.
Professional players such as John Terry and Ashley Cole have had their affairs publicised and now the younger generation has seen this behaviour to be normal. Most young teenagers look up to these footballers trying to shadow their lifestyle and follow the steps of these stars. These affairs have given the impression to the younger generation that marriages are not meant to last as the adultery that these professional footballers have performed have given this impression.
John Terry is a key example of a footballer who is a very bad influence to the young footballing generation. Former England captain and Chelsea captain, was a role model to many young people, but now John Terry is looked upon by some as scum. He is a player on £170,000 a week but yet he still went on to cheat on his team mate, Wayne Bridge. John Terry is a father of two children and had a loving wife Toni before this affair and has now been an embarrassment to his family and his team Chelsea FC.
However some argue that although Terry has embarrassed himself and his team mates, he has also captained his country and team with consistent loyalty and without displays of petulance or aggression.
Ashley Cole, who committed adultery in 2010 when married to Cheryl Tweedy, is now divorced from his loving ex wife Cheryl. Ashley Cole is equally guilty of adultery (albeit not with a team mate’s wife), which lead to his divorce from Cheryl Cole. Also, by allegedly lying to cover up the racial abuse by John Terry he is equally complicit in racism.
In addition, Ashley Cole has perhaps displayed disloyalty, petulance and greed by leaving Arsenal (the club that had developed him since childhood) over a significant raise in salary which he felt devalued him, abusing younger members of his team and openly questioning a previous manager’s tactics (Andre Villas Boas).
Who are the footballers that young people can really look up to?
