Charlton Athletic Online

There must be so many people in this country who really, really, want England to win the 2006 World Cup in Germany this summer, but does the News of the World?

Today, they (the NoW) published an account of a "set-up" that they manipulated whereby Sven Goran Erickson was whisked off to Dubai to meet a wealthy Arab, on a consultancy basis, only to find that the whole thing was a hoax and conspiracy to get Sven into saying some things that he shouldn't.

The FA had complete knowledge, apparently, of Sven's trip to Dubai, and that the basis was to meet someone who wanted to possibly get involved with (and maybe buy...) a Premiership club. What the FA and Sven didn't know was that it was a sham, and that the over-dinner conversation would be recorded, manipulated and led so that Sven's replies would make him appear anti-English, at a time when the country needs everyone to rally round.

How the Editor of a major Sunday newspaper can think that he would get support from the country after a set-up like this is beyond me!

Of course, the scenario is not new; Don Revie, the England manager of the mid-seventies submitted to a similar escapade, and met with Arab sheiks, and subsequently became the manager of the UAE team, after walking out on England. Revie made mega-bucks from the deal, but right up until he was on his death bed, the great British public felt betrayed and had little sympathy for a man who they saw as treasonous.

The vilification that Sven has had since being linked with Chelsea a couple of years back was nothing compared to that which Revie suffered for the rest of his life.

Personally, I don't care what Sven has said and done, on this occasion, or in the past. So he's been unfaithful to his wife - big deal, so have half the country! So he's paid £4 million a year as England's football manager, and has bedded some very desireable women - that is the dream of half the country! All I care is that England are successful and given every chance of winning a tournament for the second time in their history. They may never have a better opportunity than they have this year, but the NoW is obviously trying to scupper that dream...

So why did the "News of" do it? Is there a conspiracy against our Swedish manager from within our shores, or was the plan hatched from farther afield?

Could it have anything to do with the newspapers owner (Rupert Murdoch) being an ex-Australian and now naturalised American? Both of these countries have qualified for the World Cup so any dispruption of possible opponents England would benefit them. Will Murdoch's world-wide newspaper operation be conducting similar unsettling tactics in every country that may have a good chance of beating the Aussies and Yanks? Stranger things have happened...

I have to admit to a disliking (and that's putting it very mildly) for Murdoch; having worked in the print trade all my life, Murdoch's anti-union tactics during the Wapping dispute twenty years ago have tainted my view somewhat. I will not go into the politics here, but I still own and use a mug bearing the message that we should boycott all of the Murdoch-owned newspapers (Sun, Times, NoW) for what they did to 6000 honest workers back then. I am proud that I have never bought a Murdoch paper since then. I well remember tavelling back from Carlisle, when and where Charlton had gained promotion to the old First Division, and heading straight down to Wapping to picket Murdoch's Sunday papers in May 1986...

Maybe it's time for all of us, all of the country, to stand up for England, and boycott the titles that Murdoch owns, or at least the News of the World, after this latest tabloid abomination.

Rupert - we don't want your interference! If you are that scared of England's football team, come over here and become English. That way you can pledge your support properly!