Prince William to stamp out cheating, on pitch violence from football
May 16th, 2010 - 3:05 pm ICT by ANI
London, May 16 (ANI): Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, is determined to stamp out cheating and on-pitch violence from the game.
Recent incidents in which players have been accused of unsporting behaviour include the French goal which knocked Ireland out of this year’s World Cup finals, scored after what Thierry Henry later admitted was a handball by him which the referee failed to spot.
Speaking at the Respect and Fair Play Awards ceremony ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final, he said that sport reflected both the good and bad in the modern world.
“For all its benefits, when aggression becomes brutality, when passion becomes disrespect for opponents, when the rules of the game and the principles of sportsmanship become obstacles to be bulldozed, sport can become detrimental to the individual and society.
“Whilst I remain president of the FA, promoting sportsmanship and stamping out the deplorable scenes that have blighted our game in the past will be my goal,” The Tegraph quoted Williams, as saying.
The prince described football as the greatest game on earth.
Prince William, an Aston Villa fan, “Unfashionable as the word may sound, sportsmanship underpins everything good and worthwhile about our national game.
“What is so important about these Respect and Fair Play Awards is that they acknowledge and reward those who play fair and encourage fair play - true sportsmen and women,” The Tegraph quoted Williams, as saying. (ANI)
- World brands French footballer Henry a cheat - Nov 20, 2009
- Henry fires Arsenal into the 4th round of FA Cup - Jan 10, 2012
- FIFA may impose World Cup ban on French `Hand Ball' striker Henry - Nov 22, 2009
- Irish anger over WC play-off handball incident no longer an issue: Henry - Jul 25, 2010
- William, Harry, Kate named ambassadors of 2012 Olympics - Dec 01, 2011
- Dhyan Chand Award for former Indian football captain Shabbir Ali - Jul 26, 2011
- FIFA says no to extra referees for 2010 World Cup - Dec 03, 2009
- I would have hit striker Thierry Henry for 'handball goal': Cantona - Nov 21, 2009
- 'England morale high despite Ferdinand's absence,' says Prince William - Jun 07, 2010
- Irish Justice Minister calls for Ireland-France replay - Nov 20, 2009
- Irish government to back its board on ICC snub - Apr 10, 2011
- Hand ball incident: Henry did not mean for it to happen, says Becks - Nov 20, 2009
- Parreira sees some good coming out of Henry handball - Dec 05, 2009
- Thierry Henry 'cleared' of role in World Cup revolt? - Jun 25, 2010
- Mining magnate launches rival football body in Australia - Mar 01, 2012
Tags: aggression, aston villa, awards ceremony, brutality, disrespect, earth prince, fa cup final, fair play, football association, football london, greatest game, individual and society, national game, prince william, recent incidents, rules of the game, sportsmanship, thierry henry, true sportsmen, world cup finals