The folly of football bans (From The Northern Echo)
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The folly of football bans
5:44pm Thursday 27th May 2010 in Peter Barron
Sad to see Newcastle United putting out a statement, calling on Premier League chairmen to ban the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail.
Having been on the receiving end of bans by a number of football clubs over the years (oh how we miss George Reynolds), it's a move which ultimately achieves nothing.
NUFC banned reporters from the Mail stable last season after "repeated irresponsible press coverage".
The club was considering lifting the ban when the Mail on Sunday published its story about FA chairman Lord Triesman.
Now, the MoS and Mail remain banned for the foreseeable future and other Premier League clubs are being asked to follow suit.
I have my own concerns about the Lord Triesman story, which resulted from a secretly taped conversation. The ex-FA chairman was covertly recorded, saying Spain and Russia were planning to bribe World Cup referees.
It was a stupid thing to say but Lord Triesman was speaking privately to a supposed friend and did not stand to make any personal gain.
The story has damaged England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup, which guarantees matches at Newcastle and Sunderland if successful.
In the circumstances, the decision to go ahead with publication is questionable.
But I draw the line at imposing a ban and encouraging other clubs to do the same. I'll be amazed, and disappointed, if any other clubs follow suit.
There will always be disagreements between football clubs and newspapers. But where is the line to be drawn? Who's to say who's right and who's wrong?
The relationship between football and the media is mutually beneficial.
Clubs that go down the "banning" route - just because they have the power to do so - are treading a dubious path.
Football writers work together. The Mail and Mail on Sunday will still get the coverage they want and Newcastle United will end up being isolated.
Comments(3)
Peter Barron
says...
3:38pm Fri 28 May 10
gramps427 wrote:So was it right that The Northern Echo was banned from Darlington FC every time we were critical of the way George Reynolds ran the club? That had nothing to do with profit. And let's not pretend that Premier League football clubs are immune to "the curse of the modern commercial world". Football needs the media as much as the media needs football.
While the press continue to act irresponsibly in the hope of a "big story" people will call for them to be banned or have laws imposed on them. You and others like you Peter may have issue's with what was done, but you still stand back as individuals and as an industry allowing it to happen. Its part of the curse of the modern commercial world where so called professionals turn a blind eye to what is wrong in order to turn a profit. Rather like the Government when trying to keep power.
gramps427
says...
9:01am Sat 5 Jun 10
gramps427 says...
1:31pm Fri 28 May 10