Celtic head-scratching ahoy for the next couple of weeks, as Wales and Scotland have to decide whether or not they support the ol’ enemy of England in the World Cup.
This may sound like a rather minor thing, but in the minds of politicians, football seems to be perceived as a chance to connect with the ‘working man’. Think Gordon Brown’s revelation that his underwear all comes from M&S, or David Cameron’s choice of Benny Hill to play on Desert Island Discs.
They’re all about the grand political gestures, appealing to an electorate that politicians appear to think consists entirely of working men’s clubs and bored housewives, flicking through Bella and Pick Me Up.
It’s Rhodri Morgan’s turn next, with Wales’s First Minister announcing that while he’ll support England, he’s going to support their opposition if the fans start causing trouble.
Hardly the most constructive comments to be making on the debate, is it?
Old Rhodders has a history of sitting on the fence on just about any topic going. From whether to support Blair and the invasion of Iraq, to the lecturers’ boycott (read next week’s interview with the First Minister to find out more), the fence is very much there to be sat on.
So why couldn’t he just keep his trap shut now as well?
There was no gain to be made from making such a ridiculous statement about England fans making ‘trouble’.
All it’s done is ignore the enormous efforts that the authorities have gone to here to prevent hooligans travelling to the event from England, as well as reinforcing the impression that England fans are a bigger problem than their violent counterparts in countries such as the Netherlands.
