Terry case damaged image of game

Players’ chief Gordon Taylor admits football’s image has been damaged by the revelations during the John Terry court case of the vile insults traded between top professionals.

Terry was cleared of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand by a court on Friday but Taylor says the repercussions of the case will be lasting.

Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, wants the FA’s Respect campaign to be stepped up for the new season with players taking more responsibility for being role models.

He also suggested the FA are in “a difficult position” over whether they charge Terry over the same incident.

Taylor told the Press Association: “You have to respect what has happened in court and there has been a judgement made, but it has not been the best of weeks for football.

“It has been an unedifying process and the game has been damaged as a result of the dirty linen being washed in public.

“I now want to see an improvement in the Respect campaign. It is not just the line between what is banter and what is illegal, so much of what we have heard this week needs to be cut out.

“The players are role models and everything now gets picked up in a match on television. These insults and this language leads to things that should not be said.”

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez was banned by the FA for eight matches for racially abusing Patrice Evra last season, and Taylor says players should be in no doubt about a line that cannot be crossed.

“People will say it has set back a lot of initiatives and it has not been comfortable for the game for us to have had two of our members in that situation,” he added.

“There are no grey areas any more. Players now know exactly what they can say and what they can’t. It’s the biggest game in the world and players who earn big money know the cameras and microphones are always on them and should be very mindful of what they are saying and doing.

“The Respect campaign has got to be stepped up.”

In terms of a possible FA charge, the body will spend next week studying the findings of the Terry verdict before making a decision.

Taylor said on that issue: “Football has shown that it has been quick to deal with such issues and move on, and needing a lower burden of proof [than court] puts the FA in a difficult position now.

“Some people may say we should we draw a line under it and really reinforce the campaign at the start of the new season, but at the same time we must not sweep it under the carpet and say everything is fine when it’s not.”

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