England Football Captain and Chelsea star John Terry has been at the centre of a media storm this past week after a court injunction, that banned the media from broadcasting details about his alleged affair, was lifted.
The process has raised questions not only over Terry’s future as Captain of club and country, but also as to whether there should have even been a court injunction in the first place.
Terry has been married to Toni Poole since 2007. They had twins in 2006. But media speculation has spread recently about an alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, a French model and girlfriend of former team mate Wayne Bridge.
As a result, and in order to keep his personal life under wraps, Terry took out a court order which prevented the media from reporting on his affair with Miss Perroncel and the various details that went with it.
However, during the last week, the court injunction was lifted by Mr Justice Tugendhat as he said there was “nothing left to be protected.” This has caused huge speculation throughout the British press as alleged details of the affair have spread widely. This has led to rumours of Terry’s wife divorcing him and of Miss Perroncel being forced to undergo an abortion. Should celebrities be allowed to keep their private lives under wraps? Or should their dirty little secrets be exposed to you and I?
The injunction taken out by Terry is first and foremost a restraint on the freedom of speech and the right of the media to publish their stories. Admittedly, many stories published by the tabloid press are exaggerated beyond recognition. However, surely a paper has the right to publish stories with sufficient and reliable information to back up their claims? The fact that Terry earns £170,000 a week does not make him any different to you or I. He must face the facts and the consequences of his terrible actions. Terry’s celebrity status does not excuse him from such behaviour and such gagging orders on the press merely seem to imply that his actions are deemed acceptable.
The situation is clearly a sensitive one, with the potential to undermine team spirit within the England dressing room. However, such circumstances do not mean that the freedom of speech within this country should be undermined. With Terry’s actions being made public, there has been increasing demand for him to stand down as England Captain. Critics argue that such a prominent position must be upheld with dignity, and that any captain should be an apt role model considering the importance of the position. Clearly, Terry has been guilty of some bad behaviour, but this does not, or should not, affect his performance on the pitch. As a result, Terry should continue as Captain and lead England forward to the World Cup in South Africa this summer.
In the modern democracy we now live in, a free and liberal media should not be entrenched by legal proceedings limiting the reporting of events. Whatever the story, the citizens of this country have the right to find out the details of specific events.
Clearly Terry is in the wrong and must pay for whatever punishment comes his way, be it the loss of certain sponsorship details, chanting at matches, or the loss of the England captaincy. Terry should not be allowed to hide his actions behind a court order. Tiger Woods didn’t get away with it, and neither should he.
