Why are footballers still treated as role models?

A survey in 2009 found that the top three careers for five to 11 year olds was sports star, pop star then actor. This is unfortunate for society at the best of times (25 years back kids aspired to be doctors and teachers) but especially so in a week that saw more shame smeared over these would-be heroes.

Carlos Tevez refused to play for a team that pays him £250,000 a week; Rio Ferdinand lost his legal case against the Mirror and was revealed as a liar and an unsuitable England Captain (John Terry's clearly the man for the armband); Titus Bramble was suspended from Sunderland over allegations of sexual assault and possession of a Class A drug. One thing's for sure, the underrepresentation of English players on the pitch doesn't prevent them achieving the most disgrace in their spare time.

It has been said that these millionaire miscreants bear some of the responsibility for the recent riots, because they earn far too much for doing very little and use all their spare time and vast wealth to gamble, conduct affairs and buy revolting tat (see Phil Neville's old house.) Whether this equates to a reason for knocking off Poundland is questionable although it's probably not helping!

When pundits like David James complain that footballers are unfairly singled out perhaps he's not taking into consideration the harsher treatment meted out to other elements of society that seem to be unfairly rewarded; MPs are getting locked away with the rioters and 'bankers' (a catch-all phrase for all the people in the City who's jobs involve moving massive sums of theoretical money around) are taking the loads of flak for profiting from the financial chaos they caused (the occupation of the Stock Exchange is planned for 15 October.)

£40,000 per week Titus Bramble hasn't been charged over the latest allegations and is currently under investigation by both the police and Sunderland Football Club. However he does have form, having been accused of raping a woman in a Newcastle hotel last year, a crime his brother Tesfaye received a four and a half year sentence for in August this year. Titus had previously been arrested in 2003, together with West Ham striker Carlton Cole, and two other men arrested for an alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl in a London hotel.

The fine line between a gang-rape and a team building 'roast' seems to have been negotiated more skillfully by £160,000 per week Rio Ferdinand (who's had more than Bernard Matthews.) Rio has been less successful in his attempt to sue The Sunday Mirror under the human rights act for invading his privacy, causing him to be 'angry and upset' because the paper had printed an interview with his long-time lover Carly Storey.

The article mentioned that he'd been reminded by England manager Fabio Capello of the need to behave professionally on the pitch and 'around the hotel' as he'd been sneaking Carly in. Like his team make Ryan Giggs, Rio assumes he can have his cake and eat it, with the cute kids in mini-kits to carry onto the pitch after a big win and then access to loose ladies at the post-match booze up.

That children admire men such as these is bad enough but it's adults who are buying them replica kits and telling them who to support. Surely the actions of Carlos Tevez (not to mention Mario Balotelli) has made it clear to Manchester City fans that the players in their team are more concerned with the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund's ability to pay their huge wage packets than any of the old virtues of team spirit or pride.

The hat-trick of negative football stories this week has once more illustrated that the top Premier League teams are nothing more than multinational franchises staffed by immoral mercenaries whose exalted status is funded by our TV subscriptions and tickets.