Share

FA slams Hodgson mocking

London - The Football Association said a front page headline in Britain's biggest selling newspaper that made a joke out of new England manager Roy Hodgson's manner of speech was "unacceptable".

Wednesday's Sun reacted to Hodgson's appointment with a headline of 'BWING ON THE EUWOS!' (We'll see you in Ukwaine against Fwance)'.

According to the FA, this led to both the governing body and the UK's Press Complaints Commission receiving complaints about the "poor taste and disrespectful" wording.

An FA statement issued Wednesday said: "The FA and the Press Complaints Commission have today received a large number of objections relating to the front page headline in The Sun newspaper, regarding Roy Hodgson's manner of speech.

"On this occasion, we will not be making an official complaint to the PCC but we have raised it with the newspaper and made it clear that their front page is unacceptable to us."

FA chairman David Bernstein added: "We are delighted at the media response to Roy's appointment but are disappointed with the headline in The Sun, which we consider is in poor taste and disrespectful."

In its story the Sun said Hodgson was "affectionately known as Woy due to his speech impediment".

Many pundits and players chipped in attacking the Sun's poor taste including a former editor of the paper David Yelland.

"So little compassion for Roy Hodgson today, bullying language, pointlessly cruel, pointlessly hurtful," he said.

Hodgson was unveiled as England manager by the FA on Tuesday after emerging as the shock choice to succeed Fabio Capello following the Italian's resignation in February.

The 64-year-old former West Brom manager won out over 'fans favourite' Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham boss, for the England job.

Hodgson's first major tournament in charge of England will be the upcoming European Championships in Poland and Ukraine where the team play France in Donetsk on June 11.

The tabloid Sun, which has a daily sale of just over 2.5 million copies, is renowned for its colourful headlines.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1272 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2241 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE