The Hindu : Sport / Football : England sticks with `bad boy' Beckham as captain

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Saturday, Oct 16, 2004

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England sticks with `bad boy' Beckham as captain

LONDON, OCT. 15. David Beckham lurches from one crisis to another. Michael Owen projects a squeaky clean image.

The country which invented football should have no problem deciding who's the best choice to captain England's national team. Sorry Michael, the coach is sticking with bad boy Becks.

With allegations about his private life splashed across the tabloids and facing a possible disrepute charge over his often petulant on-field behaviour, Beckham can't help attracting negative headlines.

He was deluged by even more yesterday after a game he didn't even play in, as some of the tabloids called for him to be stripped of the captaincy. Owen, the critics said, is a far more worthy candidate.

While Beckham and his pop star wife lap up every photo opportunity and make millions from commercial deals, Owen stays in the background.

The Real Madrid striker, who tends to keep his private life private, makes news by scoring goals — a lot more frequently than Beckham.

Beckham has 15 goals in 75 appearances. Owen has scored 28 in 65 games, including three against Germany in a 5-1 World Cup qualifying triumph in Munich in 2001 and a memorable solo strike against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup when he was 18.

Owen has been troubled by a recent lack of form and has been accused of diving to try and get a penalty. But you'll never see him chase furiously after an opponent to haul him down. Or verbally abuse the referee. Or be the target of lurid `kiss-and-tell' tabloid stories.

Leave that to Beckham.

So why is England sticking with the troubled, volatile husband of one of the Spice Girls instead of giving the captain's armband to the well-mannered, clean-cut striker who has never served a suspension?

Ask coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

With Beckham serving a controversial suspension on Wednesday, the Swede named his Real Madrid team-mate Owen as captain. He responded by heading in the only goal in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory in Azerbaijan.

It was only Owen's second goal in a year for England but, with Beckham sidelined, the timing was perfect.

Owen has filled in for the absent Beckham seven times. England won four of those games and tied three.

Yet Beckham looks certain to be captain again once the broken rib he sustained against Wales last Saturday has healed.

Knowing the injury would keep him out of Wednesday's game, he deliberately fouled a Welsh opponent to draw a yellow card and automatic suspension. Getting the suspension out of the way, he said, was "clever".

Far from it. His comments sparked a storm of criticism, with FIFA president Sepp Blatter and others criticising him for violating the spirit of `fair play'.

Beckham issued a formal apology, and Eriksson appears to have forgiven him.

"Did I ever doubt that Beckham should carry on as England captain in the future? No way. I have never doubted that," Eriksson said after his team's 1-0 victory in Azerbaijan.

As the British press pointed out on Thursday, Owen doesn't have anything to apologise for.

The Daily Mirror said Owen "put pride back into the captain's armband". Other papers ridiculed Beckham as an "attention-seeking drama queen".

Owen has skills in diplomacy, too.

Appearing at news conference before the Azerbaijan game, he was invited repeatedly to comment on Beckham's ploy to miss the match.

"I just feel that I'm in a position where whatever I say will be wrong," he said. "I think you'll forgive me for dodging it. I've not dodged many (questions) before but I'd rather dodge this one.

And Owen didn't want to rock the boat either after scoring the winner.

"It was a great night for me, to be captain, to win, to score and to be going home to England to see my family," he said. "It is the perfect night." — AP

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