Roy can pick Ashley Cole after Twitter tirade

Posted Wednesday, October 10, 2012 by The Sun

Roy can pick Ashley Cole after Twitter tirade
TWITTER TERROR ... Ashley Cole

ROY HODGSON can pick Ashley Cole against San Marino on Friday.

Chelsea left-back Cole has been charged with bringing the game into disrepute after calling the FA a “bunch of t**ts” on Twitter.

But England boss Hodgson has been told it is his decision whether to pick the player for the World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

Cole’s offensive tweet came after his evidence was questioned by an independent commission which found Blues skipper John Terry guilty of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

There were suggestions Cole, 31, could be banned from facing the San Marinese minnows.

But FA chairman David Bernstein this morning said: "He is free to play for England over the coming matches.

"It is up to the manager to decide whether he plays or not."

Bernstein also revealed Cole offered a heartfelt apology to him for the tweet.

He added: "Cole came to see me last night and apologised to me personally.

"He showed real contrition. He said he was really sorry. It was a serious apology.

"He expressed a degree of remorse for what he had done, wished it hadn't happened.

"I looked him in the eye and really felt that he meant it."

Asked if Cole would be given the captain's armband for his 100th cap, Bernstein said: "To be absolutely honest I doubt it.

"We've expressed a view on what we need with regard to a captain and I doubt it but we'll see.

"We've had issues and we've stated publicly many times that we have a very high level of behaviour required from an English captain."

The FA charged Cole “in relation to a Twitter comment which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.”

He has until 4pm on Thursday to respond.

It is likely he will be fined, just as Rio Ferdinand was when the Manchester United defender retweeted a comment which called Cole a “choc ice”.

That racial slur was in response to Cole appearing for Terry’s defence and implied the Chelsea player was black on the outside and white on the inside.

Cole could be rested for Friday’s game anyway with Hodgson naming three left backs in the squad.

But the FA are making it clear that if Cole is omitted it will NOT be as a punishment for his tweet.

They are keen to keep stressing the distinction between the part of the FA which runs football and the separate section which is in charge of discipline.

Hodgson will remind his players this week to act more responsibly.

In August he said they could learn from the way our Olympians behaved.

He said: “We can learn from the enormous grace and humility the athletes showed in victory and defeat. Their relationship with the mass media was good.

“Let’s hope football can learn from that as well and earn a few Brownie points from our interactions with the public and the media.”