PFA faces up to networking issues

THE Professional Footballers' Association is planning to create official fan pages on Facebook for every player in England as a way of protecting their members against the pitfalls of social media.

A number of high-profile players have found themselves in trouble with their clubs after using social networking sites, most notably the likes of Liverpool's Ryan Babel, Hull's Jozy Altidore and Sunderland striker Darren Bent, who used Twitter to vent his frustration over his protracted move from Tottenham Hotspur.

Bent's famous tweet went thus: "Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go to stoke NO do I wanna go to sunderland YES so stop ******* around Levy."

Now the PFA has stepped in with a plan to create official pages for all professional players.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said: "The PFA are constantly monitoring the way their members are represented in all forms of the media.

"With Facebook continuing to grow, the union are proud to enable the association to bring players and fans closer together in a monitored environment for each professional."

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has become one of the first advocates of the scheme.