English FA bring in #SocialMedia code of conduct

In light of Ashley Cole’s Twitter outburst, the English FA has created a new code of conduct to encompass social media.

By Declan Whooley

FA chairman David Bernstein said the new code was presented to the players in a 10 minute meeting on Monday night and covers three areas; when a player is with the England squad, a player’s conduct in general and the consequences for breaking the rules.

Bernstein conceded that the changes should have been brought in ‘years ago’ but leave the players in little doubt about what is expected of them.

“We've explained to the players that that's absolutely fine by us but please understand that if you're using Twitter when you're with the team you should do so in conjunction with the team's media officers,” said Adrian Bevington, Club England Managing Director.

“When you're not with the team, clearly you should avoid any criticism of any organisations or individuals,” he added in today’s Guardian.

It will be interesting to see how the players abide by the code as common sense is sometimes in short supply with Premier League footballers.

As the James McClean’s controversial tweet demonstrated a few weeks back, the FAI has yet to implement its own policy. All in its own good time.