Guest Post: Another reason to hate the Daily Mail… by Andrew Walker

As if there weren’t enough reasons to hate the Daily Mail already. Following the Mail on Sunday exposé about the admittedly stupid Lord Triesman, they have now alienated the only group that still liked them – racist football fans.

The English press have long sought to build up and then knock down our sporting endeavours in the interests of flogging newspapers. And while one might have little sympathy for John Terry or Ashley Cole’s infidelities being exposed, seeking to jeopardise the country’s World Cup bid is scandalous.

As ever, the timing of the story seems to have been engineered to maximise damage to those involved – in this instance, that being all English football supporters. This has been highlighted by Gary Lineker’s decision to resign from his Mail on Sunday column.

Lineker has not always been my favourite person, in no small part down to his massive smugness. But taking this stand seems a noble gesture, and given that he took over the column from the late, great Sir Bobby Robson, a symbolic one too.

I do not condone Lord Triesman’s behaviour. It was naïve and misguided, but delivered in a private conversation, and needn’t have been damaging to our World Cup bid.

Maybe I am naïve myself, but the apparent short termism of the English press is staggering. One would imagine that England hosting the 2018 World Cup would be hugely lucrative for all media groups in this country.

Yet they would rather threaten that opportunity by paying off some ten-a-penny harlot to spill the beans on yet another randy FA executive. Depressing and pathetic.