Is football still the beautiful game?

There have been two stories in the press recently which I feel I have to comment on.

In fact in the first case, it's not the actual story it's the reaction to it. John Terry, captain of both the Chelsea and England teams, has been behaving badly and there are now calls from columnists for him to be stripped of his captaincy. I must admit that I'm having trouble following the logic here. If my manager cheated on his wife I wouldn't expect him to be demoted to my level so why should that be the case for Terry? Can an employer take disciplinary action over something that hasn't happened in the course of the employee's work and that doesn't directly impact it? (Criminal activity aside.) Terry has earned his captaincy of both clubs by being an outstanding footballer and an effective leader - and God knows, as a Fulham supporter it pains me to say that - and his indiscretions off the pitch shouldn't detract from that. His team-mates may not respect him as much; Wayne Bridge has made clear he certainly doesn't, but to appoint another captain would, I think, cross a line. Football clubs are increasingly blurring the lines between a player's career and his personal life although I think I might save that for another day...

I type this through gritted teeth (fingers?) but I hope Capello gives Terry the armband. It'd be a slippery slope if he doesn't.

The second story is much more clear cut I think. Togo, who suffered a terrifying ordeal as they entered Angola to take part in the African Cup of Nations, have been banned from entering the ACN for the next 2 tournaments. Why? Because they withdrew early from this year's. Because 2 of their representatives had died in the attack. Naturally there is uproar about this and quite rightly so. How can the people working for the Confederation of African Football honestly think that this is fair? Now I know the old saying "life isn't fair" but I hardly think that's appropriate here. People died, their friends and colleagues were entitled to mourn their loss and they should not be punished for making that decision. Have the CAF not heard of mitigating circumstances? Or thought of using some discretion here? The whole affair has baffled me and left me incredibly dismayed that human beings can treat other human beings this way. Talk about kicking someone when they're down - I don't think that even comes close.