“There are calls for Raheem Sterling to step down from England’s World Cup squad following his decision to have a gun tattooed on his leg,” says Good Morning Britain’s twitter feed. “Which side are you on?” Well, I’m not on Good Morning Britain’s side for sure.
The main thing about this story is that this is not a story at all. It’s a piss poor attempt by a TV channel watched by people who have got too much time on their hands to invent some news. They’ve failed.
Of course, it wasn’t just Good Morning Britain. It was, inevitably, the Sun, too, It ran a story in which Lucy Cope, who founded the Mothers Against Guns group after her son was shot dead in 2012, said Sterling should not play for England unless he gets rid of the tattoo. No one bothered to ask Sterling about the story about the tattoo, which was actually quite poignant. He said: “When I was two my father died from being gunned down to death. I made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my lifetime. I shoot with my right foot so it has a deeper meaning.” And he added that the tattoo was not finished yet.
I am not going to blithely dismiss Ms Cope’s views or the group she founded. By the same token,though, the Sun should not seek to exploit her and her views views by doing what Good Morning Britain did and that’s to create a story. In the absence, may I add, of Sterling’s explanation which was described by the FA as being “honest and heartfelt account.” If the Sun doesn’t believe Sterling’s explanation – and I do – they are saying he is a liar. That’s how to get behind “our boys”, as the Sun usually calls them.
Keep your tattoo, lad. Get it finished. Inspire a generation of your men to ditch weapons and stop the killing and the maiming. And more than that, have a great world cup. I want you to, even though the Sun plainly doesn’t.
