I COUNT myself as a very moral upright person who would never cheat on my wife and would never condone the idea of others being unfaithful. I also heartily endorse the idea that public role models should not act in a scandalous way.

However, the whole sorry business surrounding the footballer John Terry is a load of old humbug.

Terry was, as you all know, the captain of the England football team. He was not Prime Minister or head of the BBC. Quite frankly, the fact he apparently chose to be unfaithful to his wife is really none of my concern.

I expect most footballers to be boorish yobs and, as long as they don’t break the law, I really don’t care what they get up to in their own private lives.

Yes, he may be a role model to little kids, but do little kids really understand what he’s been up to?

Professional footballers, most of whom left school at an early age, are employed to win games for their fans, and as long as they don’t injure any other players, or cheat and fix matches, that’s all we can expect of them.

The job of England captain does not require the credentials of a monk. It simply involves someone being able to toss a coin, then lead the team onto the field and motivate them on the pitch.

I already know we live in a morally bankrupt country, and John Terry’s demotion isn’t going to change that. If we cast out all the sinners from football, and indeed public life, we’re not going to have anyone left.

We lost the moral battle a long time ago. It’s just a shame we are now going to lose the World Cup as well.