Pompey players are above the financial law as staff get the boot

By Brian Reade

Published 05:58 13/03/10

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Portsmouth have sacked 85 staff and cut the chief executive's pay by 40% before his departure as they club tried to drag itself away from bankruptcy.

One set of employees who won't face redundancies or pay-cuts though, are the players. Not when there's an agreement between the PFA and the Premier League that their contracts are untouchable.

The next time a player scandal breaks, and Gordon Taylor demands that footballers are treated like everyone else, I hope he remembers how he's helped make them believe they are above everyone, including their fellow workers, and everything, including the law.

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Memo to AC Milan: Television has not shown such and ancient collection of footballers since Father Ted entered a Craggy Island side into the Annual All-Priests 5-a-side, over-75s Indoor Challenge Match.

The one where he had to break bad news to Dougal just before kick-off: "Father Ned Fitzsimmons tripped on a paving slab and one of his knee-caps fell off. I'm going to have to put him in goal."

Magnifico.

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A rejuvenated Sol Campbell reckons he can still make the plane to South Africa. "Why not?" asks the 35-year-old who hasn't played international football since 2007.

Why not indeed? With the way the recession's gone, there's every chance of booking a late availability place on those fortnight safari breaks to the Kruger National Park.

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