Social media warning by union

The players’ union in Scotland has issued a warning against the dangers of using social media and urged players not to risk police action or a massive 20-game suspension for falling foul of the authorities.

With an increasing number of players turning to the likes of Twitter and Facebook to keep in touch with their fans, the PFA Scotland has urged caution in the content of the messages they write.

Scottish football has already seen a handful of players being released by their clubs following abusive posts, with a Cowdenbeath youngster being arrested in December for allegedly making sectarian comments on Twitter. And, just last week, Scotland rugby full-back Rory Lamont was forced to issue an apology after being reprimanded by the SRU for “inappropriate language” in his online criticism of US President Barack Obama.

South of the Border, Oxford City player Lee Steele was last week sacked by the Southern Football League Premier Division club for homophobic comments about former Wales rugby internationalist Gareth Thomas, whilst Carlton Cole and Ryan Babel have been fined in recent times for Twitter comments.

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan, a regular user of Twitter himself, warned players last year that they faced charges of bringing the game into disrepute if they used social media to criticise officials.

Former Falkirk and St Mirren defender Jack Ross, who is head of communications at the union, said: “You can never have complete control over what players do, but we’ll continue to remind players of our guidelines.

“The likes of Facebook or Twitter enable players to interact and connect with supporters immediately and, used sensibly, it can also enhance a player’s reputation and help promote him commercially.

“The problems arise when it is not used sensibly. It can not just do damage to your football career but could result in criminal proceedings,” Ross went on.

“The sanctions for any player found guilty of breaching the regulations surrounding social media are particularly severe and could result in at least a three, four or five-game suspension, with a maximum punishment of 20 games.”