Yesterday’s reports of Vince Grella being attacked at knife point by masked thugs in a home invasion indicate the sorry world that footballers live in today.
Grella has joined what is becoming a very long list of players in England to have been targeted by criminals over the last two years or so. Liverpool alone has had no fewer than seven players affected, including club talisman Steven Gerrard.
Kiko Macheda, who was robbed of jewelry and a watch just a few weeks ago, as well as Roque Santa Cruz and Emile Heskey, have also been targeted.
Darren Fletcher’s home was targeted when criminals knew he would be in Italy for a Champions League fixture earlier this year. Particularly distressing is that his girlfriend was home at the time and reportedly had a knife held to her throat.
So who would want to be a footballer with this sort of stuff going on in the background?
The thought of playing football for a living is a dream for many young boys, but that’s the thought of playing football, of hearing the crowd cheer your name, of pulling on a Socceroo’s jersey and scoring a winning goal in a Cup final. But the reality is that this is not even half of a modern footballer’s life.
High profile players, whether they like it or not, have to accept the added responsibility of being a role model to today’s youth.
While the general argument is that they are well paid for what they do, many simply do not want to live like a Rockstar, many reject the responsibility and struggle to cope with the attention. For every success story, there is one of heartbreaking failure.
Just look at the highly contrasting lives of Ryan Giggs and Paul Gascoigne.
Today’s players are subjected to relentless scrutiny. Anything they do in their private life is reported on in the press, and for those of you unfamiliar with British tabloids, the sensationalist stories they come out with can be truly ridiculous, especially in comparison with Australia’s relatively tame media.
This is a two-way street as it gives them extra exposure, ensuring they command huge amounts of money from their sponsorship deals. But having a spotlight on you which never gets turned off must surely be unbearable at times.
However, are we, the community at large, asking footballers to simply accept the flipside of the stardom?
Should they endure the jeers, such as those reportedly directed at Jack Collison in Tuesday night’s Carling Cup fixture regarding the tragic death of his father, or worse still, the racist monkey chants directed at Carlton Cole?
Society has reached a sad low when a racially abused player comes out and says “It’s football, you know?”
There doesn’t seem to be any boundaries for fans and supporters and if there are, then where is the line? Surely the aforementioned incidents would have been examples of crossing that line?
DiCanio
Guest
haah 'knavery' Lets not turn a fairly narrow crime template into a discussion on counterculture or liberalism v conservatism. The obvious answer is most likely These individuals have a high profile and lots of money. Being ridiculously wealthy is not always a guarentee of freedom
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
I don't mind if my piece doesn't cause debate, that's not necessarily the point in writing it and that no-one is more interested in the deeper social aspects of football, well that doesn't surprise me one bit. Now saying that they "might or might not be Everton fans" is again ridiculous. I've proven that Everton players were also targeted so your point has already been nullified. The one man arrested so far was a Scouser but you initially suggested it was just one big gang on a rampage, I would deduce by the sheer number of home invasions that it's more than one but how you can say, "they are assuredly Scousers", well please give us a reason why? There are plenty of bad neighbourhoods across England, why must we assume it's people from Liverpool?
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
So True Tah, it's fine that these players be targeted just because they are rich? Is that the payoff? I don't earn as much but criminals won't target me because I don't have a Rolex on my bedside table? Because their salary is so high, they deserve to be constantly annoyed, hassled in pubs and have personal taunts yelled at them from thousands of spectators. I'm sure you aren't condoning the racism though? This was a piece about England, not South Africa. I know how bad the problems are there as I have family there, but you can't exactly compare the professional leagues can you? The EPL is arguably the best in the world, this is where players go, not down to South Africa and people just wouldn't expect this sort of behaviour in a civilised country.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Art, I fully realise that I haven't included all of the issues players face. Wilson Palacios' brother was kidnapped and I believe murdered back in Honduras, the criminals in this case only wanting a ransom. Joseph Yobo's brother was abducted in Nigeria, he supposedly knew his captors, they were just money hungry and took an easy target. I didn't mean to discount these events, I would imagine that Argentina's top players would have a hard time having a private life too, I was merely commenting on the situation in England, not the world at large.
Art Sapphire
Guest
Oh come on Freud, you cast a pretty narrow net. Brazilians and other South American players have had family members abducted. The only conclusion I can draw is England is become more like Brazil. Well in terms of disparity of incomes it is....don't know about the weather though. Finally, it looks like David V. is still be mourning the death of Franco. Now that's a worry.
David V.
Guest
I remember Macclesfield player Chris Byrne, a highly talented and promising player at one stage, being attacked in Hulme. His manager was not surprised that it happened, as it reflects badly on that area. Viscount Crouchback has it right, but the 1960s counter-culture crap isn't just damaging the UK, but the US and Australia too. It's one of the good things about Japan and Singapore, they are deeply conservative and anti-individualist societies where people behave. I'm glad too to see that a country like Poland has seen its effects and is now the most deeply conservative country in Europe.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
Indeed, True Tah, but to read the newspapers this week, one would be forgiven for thinking that England was mutating into South Africa. It is quite unprecedented to read of two footballers suffering home invasions in the space of one week. Such events simply should not happen in a civilised country. Freud is quite right. There is barbarism afoot in England. The 1960s counter-culture has bred monstrous youths who are prepared to do anything to get what they want. They invade the homes of footballers, they boo the captain of Australia, they rampage around the streets at the weekend. It is simply monstrous. It is high time that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II took off the heads of this bumptious Labour government and arrogated to herself all the powers that are hers by natural law.
True Tah
Guest
Freud sorry whilst I wipe my tears for the "sorry world" footballers must live in today, a world where many professional futbollers and other sportsmen earn more in a week than most do in a year and drive sports cars, drink Krug and Crystal by the bottle. You talk about increasing crime, I take it you have never been to South Africa or some other nations, where crime is a part of everyday life and a lot more violent.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
I hardly wish to argue, old bean. I merely thought I'd give your article a bit of attention since no one else seems especially interested. Indeed, it seems that you are the one with a penchant for arguing, if your rather tedious debates with KO are anything to go by. As for the matter at hand: well, it's a quality of life issue. A third of white South Africans have fled the country because of home invasions and other crimes - why should footballers be any different? Furthermore, if one has a group of criminals who are devoted to one particular football club then it is perfectly natural that they would avoid targeting their own players. It's hardly earth shattering logic. In any event, whilst these vile men might or might not be Everton fans, they are assuredly Scousers. Such depraved behaviour bears all the hallmarks of the scally.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Ok I've heard some drivel in my time but you really have taken the cake. To reason that because "no Everton player has been targeted" must automatically mean the suspects must be Everton fans is preposterous. I hardly think a criminal bases their targets on the basis of their football allegiances and I don't think Bill Kenwright has a team of ninja's that he sends out to shake up players from rival clubs, the profits from which he uses to fund Everton's transfer activity. Further, to deduce that Xabi Alonso's departure to Real was a "desperate" attempt to get away from these criminals is ludicrous. It would have NOTHING to do with earning more money, being taxed less or heading to a club that just bought Kaka & Cristiano Ronaldo would it? No I'm sure any footballer would rather stay in a foreign country, notorious for its bad weather at a club that cannot win a league title than return home to play for a bigger club, to have a better lifestyle and an increased salary. Finally, after two minutes of googling I will now quash your argument as one current and one former player were also targeted, Tony Hibbert (a one club man might I add) and Andy van der Meyde whose dog was apparently taken and later recovered by police. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/feb/24/darren-fletcher-footballers-homes-burgled If you want to argue, at least think before you add your comments.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
One doesn't have to be a criminologist when the evidence is so bleeding obvious. Let's consider it: a) The crimes are so specific that they bear all the hallmarks of a single gang; b) The crimes first started occuring in Liverpool - any fool knows that most criminals start their knavery close to home before venturing further afield; c) No Everton FC player has been targeted, yet practically every other major club in the region has been The real question is not who these people are - thieving Scousers are ten a penny - but why the police have been so pathetic at catching them. No wonder Xabi Alonso and Mascherano were so desperate to get out.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Obviously. Let me guess, with such powers of deduction you must be a policeman?
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
If you bothered to read my post properly, you'd note that I said "near" Scousers, not "in Liverpool". And one can easily deduce that this is a Scouse problem. Why? Because it started with the targeting of Liverpool FC footballers. Then it moved around the north-west to other big-name players. Yet not a single Everton FC player has been targeted. These knaves are obviously Everton supporters living up to the finest traditions of Scouse criminality.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Sure, it only has to do with living in Liverpool. That's why Kiko Macheda, Darren Fletcher & Roque Santa Cruz had their homes invaded. The only plausible option was that Scousers went up the road and robbed them?
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
I would suggest this shows more the flipside of living near Scousers.