Erasmus not alone in talking nonsense

Rassie Erasmus, the South African director of rugby, has not been the only man responsible for ridiculous outbursts in recent days.

Paul Sowney, president of Jersey football club St Paul’s, does not have the profile of Erasmus but he certainly matches him for talking nonsense. His public defence of the Jersey champions in the face of an indefinite and much-deserved Jeremie Cup ban really takes the biscuit.

‘The GFA are disrespecting the competition by not inviting [or to put the headlines “ban indefinitely”] one of the most successful clubs in the competition,’ Sowney claimed.

‘Does this not devalue the competition?,’ he wrote in an open letter that hit the back pages of both main islands.

Well, Mr Sowney, no it does not and our GFA have done exactly the right thing.

It goes without saying the presence of Jersey clubs, one, two, whatever the number, will always make the old Jeremie a more worthy, challenging competition. Our sides always look forward to tackling off-island opposition.

But to imagine the Jeremie is devalued because his club are not involved shows he has an inflated opinion of his club.

The competition is bigger than the club, in much the same way a club should always be bigger than the player.

. AND while talking talking nonsense.

I hold my hand up to admit my suggestion that Martyn Desperques could beat most players with one hand tied behind his back was a misplaced tongue-in-cheek comment. Like Sowney, over the top.

. ROB THOMSON is one of the island’s foremost sporting administrators, but balancing the fortunes of the 2021 cricket club of the year and under-fire Manzur must have kept him awake at night these past few weeks.

Griffins’ confirmation as Evening League champions will no doubt cheer him and while there is still a hurriedly-arranged GCA Cup to challenge for, Thomson’s main summer work is largely done and he can focus more on the football side. Manzur certainly need as much help as they can get.

Still, incidentally, no news to report on when Manzur’s appeal against their £600 fine and suspended nine-point penalty will be held, but since the story broke several former Island stars have told me their own experiences of being tapped up, or their own club inducing outside talent.

We laughed at the stories, none of which came to light at the time, and there was complete agreement that every club had done it in their time – many times over.

It is also important to note that the fact Manzur have chosen to make their own appeal and left Chris Tardif to fight his own corner does not mean that the club are distancing themselves from the Island manager/Manzur consultant coach, who has been hit with a ridiculously disproportionate two-year ban from coaching in club football.

It is simply a case of the two parties judging that it would be beneficial to battle separately.