Sunday, February 07, 2010

There are 36 editions of Newsround every week, and last week (31 Jan to 6 Feb) over 80 percent of them included at least one item of footie news. But almost a whole week went by with not a word about John Terry's predicament and the dilemma facing England manager Fabio Capello. Then suddenly on Friday afternoon's programme (3.55pm on CBBC)
Sonali: Can footie star John Terry keep his job as captain of England? The one man that has the power to make that decision is manager Fabio Capello. The two men are at a meeting at Wembley right now to discuss Terry's future, and the impact on England's World Cup chances. ....
A filmed report by Ore didn't help clear any confusion for those unfortunate few who are forced by their parents to rely on Newsround to understand what's happening in the world. Ore told viewers ... recently Terry has made the news for other reasons. He's had some family problems away from football and difficulties with other players in the England team ...
Sonali: Well we're gonna have all the very latest on whether JT is still going to be England captain, live at five - that's over on CBBC on BBC One. On to the day's other news now ...
Sky News had already reported Fabio Capello's decision to sack John Terry before Friday's 3.55pm edition of Newsround.

The BBC One edition of Newsround at 5pm reported it like this:
Sonali: This is Newsround. Tonight John Terry is dropped as England football captain ......

Sonali: Hi there, I'm Sonali. In the last hour we've heard that footie star John Terry has been sacked as captain of England. It came down to one man to make the decision, and after a meeting at Wembley today manager Fabio Capello decided JT wasn't the right man to lead England to the World Cup finals. Ore's been looking back at his captaincy.

{filmed report}
Ore: As Chelsea captain, John Terry has enjoyed great success and has lifted lots of trophies for the Club. His bravery and leadership on the pitch means he was handed the biggest job in English football, taking over from David Beckham as the captain of his country back in 2006.

John Terry: I've been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm gonna make the most of that, and as we said up here to do things my way. And, you know, I've learnt from great captains, like David who was a fantastic captain.

Ore: But recently Terry has made the news for other reasons. He's had some family problems away from football and difficulties with other players in the England team. Being captain of your country is a big job. Some people reckon you don't just have to be a great footballer on the pitch, but also a good role model off it. That's why England coach Fabio Capello held this important meeting today, and decided that John Terry is no longer the right man to captain the England football team. {End of Ore's filmed report}

Sonali: Well Ian Foster from Match of the Day magazine is here. Thank you very much for coming in. Are you shocked at all?

Ian Foster: I don't think I'm shocked. I think some people are shocked, but I think anyone who knows Fabio Capello - he demands discipline and he's made his decision.

Sonali: Do you think it's the right decision?

Ian Foster: I think it's a very brave decision. I think it kind of stops all the bad stories for a while, so in that respect I think it's the right decision, yeah.

Sonali: Is it that big a deal - being captain of England - obviously it's a lot of people's dream, but in cricket you actually are making decisions, whereas in football you don't really appear to do that much?

Ian Foster: You are kind of the brains of the manager on the pitch. So John Terry will give a team talk probably before, a small team talk during the match to gee players up and at half time, and maybe afterwards and he'll speak to the media after the game. So it's an important role.

Sonali: We've just heard that Rio Ferdinand has been made captain. Good decision?

Ian Foster: I think so. Rio's been a captain of Manchester United and England before. He knows what he's doing, so if his injury problems are behind him he's a good choice.

Sonali: Who do you think's now going to become his deputy?

Ian Foster: I think Steven Gerrard is third choice, so he'll accept that and yeah be very happy, hopefully.

Sonali: And hopefully they'll all stay out of trouble.

Ian Foster: This is it.

Sonali: Thank you very much for coming in, Ian Foster.

Later, at 6.25pm on Friday, Newsround reported:
Sonali: First to news that footie star John Terry has been sacked as England captain. Fabio Capello made the decision late this afternoon after meeting him at Wembley. This week there have been rumours that JT went out with one of his England teammates' ex-girlfriends. His manager decided he was no longer the right man to lead the squad to the World Cup finals. Ore's been looking back at his captaincy. {Filmed report followed}

Sportsround, immediately after Newsround, was pre-recorded and there was no mention of the England captaincy problems.

This was Newsround's take on the story the next day (CBBC at 12.55pm):
Joe: John Terry says he'll fight back after being dropped as England captain. England coach, Fabio Capello, decided to drop him as captain because of the player's family problems, which some fans are worried will affect his game. He's told a newspaper that he really wants to win back the armband in time for the World Cup.

It was reported in a similar fashion on the later Saturday editions. I'll return to this topic in a future blog.

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