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August 29, 2002
(Thursday) from Jonathan Woodgate
Woody deserves a
chance
ENGLAND boss Sven
Goran Eriksson will have a heart to heart with
Jonathan Woodgate if the Leeds defender is picked for his country
next week.
Eriksson names his squad on Monday for the September 7 friendly
against Portugal at Villa Park ¡X and Woodgate is widely tipped to be
included.
The Leeds star was suspended from international football after being
charged over the attack on Asian student Sarfraz Najeib outside a
Leeds nightclub.
Woodgate, 22, was cleared of GBH but convicted of affray at Hull
Crown Court in December 2001 and sentenced to 100 hours community
service.
FA chiefs also slapped him with a three-year international ban,
dating back to when the attack took place in January 2000 ¡X in line
with the maximum punishment they impose on official England fan club
members found guilty of violence.
But FA chief executive Adam Crozier believes the nation is finally
ready to give Woodgate another chance and is poised to welcome him
back into the England fold three months early.
But the FA are mindful that the defender's return is bound to be a
sensitive subject in some quarters and Crozier insists that a few
ground rules will be spelled out to the Leeds star.
Crozier said: "I have no doubt that if Jonathan Woodgate is selected,
then Sven will sit down with him and explain what he expects of an
England player.
"It is something the manager does with all the players.
"We said back in March that Jonathan Woodgate would be available for
selection after the World Cup finals. Our position has not changed.
"He will have been banned for two years and nine months. He will have
missed a European Championships and a World Cup Finals.
"Both myself and Sven believe that you cannot keep punishing people
for ever."
Woodgate won his only senior England cap so far in the 1-1 draw
against Bulgaria in the European Championship qualifier back in June
1999. He played 63 minutes of the game in Sofia before being taken
off by manager Kevin Keegan.
After showing signs of some initial nerves, Woodgate quickly settled
into the game and was tipped for a bright international career.
Now Crozier believes that the time is right to give the Leeds star
another chance to fulfil that early potential.
He added: "I think the majority of people are ready for him to play
in an England shirt again. I've no doubt that some are not but two
years nine months is a long time.
"He can't get a European Championship finals or a World Cup finals
back. He has served a long time and he seems to have done all the
right things since the trial in terms of community service and
working with the fans.
"At some point you have to draw a line as you do with everything in
life and move on.
"We feel the decision is about right and most people will support it.
There may be some who don't but you have to take a decision and live
with it.
"You have to take each case on individual merits, you cannot have a
catch-all rule and we never have. We try to be consistent, which we
have been, and I don't think too many people would disagree on that."
There are fears of protests in Birmingham, particularly from the
Asian community, if Woodgate is selected by Eriksson.
But Crozier argued that Woodgate does not reflect the behaviour of
most players involved in English football.
He insisted: "The judge made it clear at the trial there was no
racial element in the case.
"The vast majority of players behave fantastically well and deserve a
lot of credit for what they do in the community and lots of other
places. A lot of that goes on without being talked about.
"We are trying to educate all players coming through the academies.
Clubs have put a lot of effort into that and I think it is bearing
fruit.
"Equally you have to accept that sometimes with young men it will go
wrong and you have to deal with it as and when it arises.
"I'm not sure you're ever going to cut it out entirely, just as you
can't in all other walks of life."
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