Anyone following the news in the UK, particularly the football side of things, will know that Steven Gerrard was arrested and then charged with assault over the last couple of days.Fine and dandy, this kind of thing happens. I don’t know the full story and I doubt anyone who wasn’t there does either.
However, Liverpool FC‘s statement that they’ll give him all the support he needs as he’s been good to them for 10 years does stick in the throat a little. If he’s guilty of beating crap out of someone for no other reason than he was drunk then why should he be treated any more differently than the likes of Joey Barton? OK, Barton’s a serial ****** with a history whereas Gerrard’s generally not in the papers for anything off the football field. But assault is assault.
Given the fact he’s been charged, I’d assume a plea of self defence has been written off which means he did cause one man to go to hospital with facial injuries. Many employers up and down the land -particularly those in the public eye – would be looking at a similar situation and thinking about how they could terminate his contract.
The world of football is different, however, as so much is invested in the individual. Is this fair? Sure they have to protect their investment but why should one person get away with damaging another just because – in essence – he’s rich?
Of course, even if he’s found guilty I expect nothing more than a slap on the wrist, perhaps a fine and maybe a community service order. There’s no way he’ll serve jail time. If Joey Barton can get away with all bar one of his efforts to cripple someone and Lee Bowyer can stamp on an Asian kid and walk free them Saint Gerrard is hardly going to do time.
Our justice system and class system really combine well to screw the common man over. I always thought everyone was meant to be equal in the eyes of the law, but I guess that’s just not the case if you have a ton of cash behind you.
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- Report: Gerrard held after alleged assault – CNN
- Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard arrested and spends night in cells after fracas – Telegraph
- Gerrard charged in assault probe – BBC
- Steven Gerrard held by police over bar-room fight in Southport – Guardian
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Not that I’m condoning the alleged actions of my hero but footballers, particularly those in the Premier League are virtually untouchable as far as the law is concerned, due to the vast amounts of money involved. There is something very wrong with this but this will always be the case whilst they continue to command stupid transfer fees and phenomenal wages.
Even if you take the money factor away, there’s something severely wrong with our justice system.
There are *lots* of things wrong with our so-called “justice” system. Mainly that the last thing it manages to give any of the victims is a sense of that justice.
Police can arrest people for over 1000 more “crimes” than they could before Labour took power. Only the actual charging and then sentencing is done by the Crown Prosecution Service. Who make it incredibly difficult as there are no bloody jail cells left.
Oh, and as for collecting fines? Nah. Don’t bother paying. The government and police don’t have the resources to chase people up. Same for bail-jumpers.
So even if you do get caught the chances of actually being *punished* are comparatively remote. Hell, even peple charged with murder are allowed to walk free before their trial. Needless to say they often go on to kill or maim someone else in the duration.
To say it’s ****** up is an understatement.