Free Rio Ferdinand--Five Star--The Biography by Wensley Clarkson Page A

constantly by Rio’s side until he joined the England squad at Bisham Abbey. She explained to the press: ‘Rio has been punished but I hope he is not hounded. Just let him get on with playing his football. I would hate to think this might destroy him.’
    Throughout the most momentous week in Rio’s career so far there was never any suggestion that he was a heavy drinker. The incident was seen as a lapse of judgement more than an illustration of a self-destructive lifestyle. This was the other reason why Glenn Hoddle allowed him to remain in the squad get-together at Bisham Abbey.
    Yet some were highly critical of Hoddle’s decision not to play Rio and accused him of letting his heart rule his head. A number of newspaper commentators were angry with him for treating Rio so differently from the earlier so-called offender Paul Gascoigne, who was accused by his wife of beating her. Many believed that while the whole country wept for Princess Di, public figures like Hoddle should address a strong message to our youngsters. Drink-driving was undoubtedly a terrible offence and, as the nation hadwitnessed those past few days, it was something that could be so cruel to the innocent.
    But it was felt by some that Hoddle had got it all terribly wrong as he searched for one code of conduct for his players whether they were 18 or 38. There seemed to be certain rules for some while others were treated differently. Rio Ferdinand would become the new Bobby Moore – there was no doubt about it – but it would not be because of the handling of this latest horror decision by the England boss.
    Some argued that because Hoddle had been quite a lad off the field in his early days, the old adage of ‘boys will be boys’ still stood. But players needed keeping firmly in their place by a manager who played the game fairly with one and all. Paul Gascoigne’s case made Rio’s situation seem unacceptable for the simple reason that Gazza should have been old enough to know better than to beat up his wife. To rub salt into Rio’s wounds, Hoddle even insisted that his players ‘will do it for the country’ by turning on the style against Moldova, yet he’d left out his most stylish player.
    No one was condoning Rio’s behaviour, but it needed to be put in the right perspective. Glenn Hoddle was not only the head coach but a born-again Christian, and that church was there to help, so why did he not sit Rio down and hand out the same treatment he did to Gascoigne? Rio’s track record of just 21 first-team matches before leaping from youth football to international stardom was noted as perhaps meaning he knew no better.
    One commentator wrote: ‘I know what Ferdinand is going through. Hoddle should have given him the biggest rollicking he will ever get in his short career and then told him to go out and put it all behind him. Show me a person, let alone a professional footballer, who has gone throughhis career without a blemish on his copybook. I always say it is better to get in and out of trouble at an early age so that you can learn from your mistakes, but Ferdinand’s is a ridiculous price to pay. It could well mean us losing the best centre-half we have had for some time if we reach the World Cup Finals in France – all because of something that will be forgotten by then. Not only that, but we have two self-confessed alcoholics, Tony Adams and Paul Merson, representing us!’
     
    Within days of Rio’s arrest and conviction, others were trying to show encouragement to the teenager to ensure he didn’t become too disheartened. In a touching display of loyalty, ex-England manager Terry Venables, now manager of the Aussie Socceroos, told newspapers that Rio and Sol Campbell were two brilliant prospects for the national team over the following 10 years.
    Venables had given Sol Campbell his international debut as a sub against Hungary in 1996 as well as including Rio in the Euro ’96 squad. ‘I believe they will be an outstanding double