Professional footballers and their managers being probably the most disreputable group of people in the country, it is not surprising that the new privacy laws have been invoked most frequently by them to protect them from press intrusion.

One of the earliest cases involved a footballer who had an affair with another man's wife and who sought and was granted an injunction by Mr Justice Eady to prevent the cuckolded husband from naming him in the press. More recently, a football club manager who had been observed making regular visits to a brothel was likewise granted an injunction to prevent publication.

And this week there was news of a third such injunction being granted this time by Mr Justice Tugendhat, once again banning any mention of an alleged affair between a Premier League player and a girlfriend of one of his team-mates. Until yesterday, when it was lifted and we learnt that the player in question is John Terry, this was yet another case of what they call a super-injunction when even the granting of the injunction is supposed to remain a secret.

Footballers today - but how long before politicians take advantage of this new branch of litigation? They will do so, of course, while continuing to profess their belief in the freedom of the press.

But these latest rulings have already undermined the principle of press freedom. And the alarming thing is how generally feeble the response has been, even from journalists. That is perhaps because defending the freedom of the press nowadays means defending the freedom of a number of fairly unsavoury characters - not just journalists but proprietors as well. I shall name no names for fear of being taken to court.

I'm not sure if I'm missing something here, but who exactly cares what these people do in their private lives? That was my reaction to the whole John Terry thing as well, I suppose the answer would be "nobody, as long as they keep it private" but in all honesty, does it affect the way they play sport or do their job? It's immediately more difficult for these people to keep their private lives, private, so why does anyone care?

It's the pedestal thing isn't it? These people are supposed to be better than us average joes? They're only human and subject to the caprices and indiscretions of human beings just the same as the rest of us, why should someone be in question of losing his job for having an affair just because he plays sport?

The manager was Avram Grant for Thai massage and apparently his wife is fine with it, but as his wife once drank a glass of her own urine on live TV, methinks they are both batty as hell

I'm not sure if I'm missing something here, but who exactly cares what these people do in their private lives? That was my reaction to the whole John Terry thing as well, I suppose the answer would be "nobody, as long as they keep it private" but in all honesty, does it affect the way they play sport or do their job? It's immediately more difficult for these people to keep their private lives, private, so why does anyone care?

It's the pedestal thing isn't it? These people are supposed to be better than us average joes? They're only human and subject to the caprices and indiscretions of human beings just the same as the rest of us, why should someone be in question of losing his job for having an affair just because he plays sport?

Re. Terry, I also wondered why his captaincy is in question (I don't follow football), but I guess it depends on if the affair affects the team's relations with each other - loyalty, friendships, whatever

From the BBC:
Fabio Capello strips John Terry of England captaincy Clicky

He had to go really....any chance of team spirit tends to be weakened if the captain may have gone into extra time with a team-mate's wife/girlfriend.

"give everything for England"

Ex-girlfriend.

Ex

The devil is in the detail

Well it's not you Ernie, not now at any rate. (8+p

Mark

There are things you don't do a a person:
1) If you're married you don't have affairs with another woman, never mind several.
2) You don't have that affair with a mates ex, never mind your best mates girlfriend.
3) You don't do all of the above if you are england captain.

John Terry has been a selfish ignorant twat who really doesn't deserve much at all.