Players' union chief Gordon Taylor has warned the Football Association they are on 'dangerous ground' after Jonathan Woodgate's omission from the England squad.
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Woodgate: Omitted
(MikeFinn-Kelcey/Allsport) |
Sven Goran Eriksson did not consider Woodgate for his squad for tomorrow's friendly international with Italy after discussions with right-hand man Tord Grip and FA chief executive Adam Crozier.
The 22-year-old Leeds centre back recently completed a 100-hour community service sentence for his conviction for affray. But he was not picked for the game at Elland Road, with the reason being that fans with criminal records are barred from attending England matches for up to three years and therefore so should Woodgate.
But Taylor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:'I think you get into very dangerous ground when you're picking a football team for non-football reasons. I thought this civilisation was about when people had served their penalty, they were allowed to get on with their life.'
Taylor also urged the Premier League and the FA not to forget the current ITV Digital row when negotiating television contracts in the future.
ITV Digital wants to renege on its Football League TV deal, cutting payments drastically, but Taylor hopes parent companies Granada and Carlton are not allowed to put this episode behind them.
He added: 'So many League clubs would have to go out of business. Football clubs have a great capacity to survive but I've always said it's wrong to rely on television money.
'Deals are deals - they can't just avoid their responsibility. I would hope that everybody in football - the Premier League and the FA - whenever they become involved with these companies, negotiating TV deals, say they can't be dealing with them and their attitude.'
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