Ferdinand and Terry

All eyes have been on the fans in Ukraine and Poland, with the shameful and barbaric racism directed towards players and fans rightly condemned all over the football world. I am always trying to explain to non-football fans that football is a force for good, that brings people together and exposes the population to new cultures, and while there have been disgraceful incidents in the past in this country they remain in the past, and football was actually instrumental in helping the general public in Britain understand and appreciate the pleasures of a multicultural society.

It is with a sinking feeling, then, that I read the claims that England have left a player out of the squad because of his race, or rather, the fact that his brother was involved in a race row. I can't believe that this is the case, but I do find it very difficult to support a team with John Terry in it. The two high-profile incidents of on-pitch racism have of course blighted this season, and I fear perspective was lost in favour of club tribalism - Dalglish's t-shirt, Suarez refusing to shake hands, Liverpool fans booing Evra for the dreadful crime of being racially abused!

If the millions of amateur lip readers are correct and Terry did indeed manage to cram racism, sexism and profanity into one neat two-word phrase then I'm amazed that he has been selected. Not only because there are black players in the England squad, but more to the point because racism is not acceptable whatever the ethnicity of the people involved. Likewise, if Ferdinand has not been selected in an attempt to avoid possible clashes between the two, meaning England have given support to the player who racially abused another and in doing so refused support to the victim and his family then we should all be ashamed that this has been allowed to happen.

I'm not sure it has though - I agree with Hodgson that Ferdinand should have been left at home 'for football reasons'. Although he has definitely been an outstanding player - anyone who's read my Vincent Kompany adulation knows my weakness for a ball-playing centre-half - he is now too old, and his back wouldn't be up to it. I'm also not sure if his fabled 'influence' would be all that valuable - he is the epitome of the arrogant, 'Golden Generation', Manchester United-inspired expectation of success that has typified England at the last few tournaments.

For footballing reasons, and plenty of other reasons, I wouldn't have taken Terry either. He got schooled at Liverpool, embarrassed himself against Barcelona and again in the Champions League final, and is just as injury-prone as Ferdinand. Lescott and Jags will do me at the back, although it is a shame Cahill got injured. I think Hodgson's main mistake has not been leaving out Ferdinand, but in taking Terry. If he'd left him out as well he could have avoided the unsavoury furore, not left himself open to claims of racism enabler, and the team would have been better as well.