By Daily Mail Reporter


Senior police officer: 'If Rooney had behaved like that in Wolverhampton on Saturday night, I would have expected my officers to lock him up'

Swearing: Wayne Rooney stunned TV viewers with a foul-mouthed rant at TV cameras after scoring a hattrick against West Ham last Saturday


Wayne Rooney has hit out at the decision to uphold his ban for abusive language, claiming: 'I won't be the last player to swear on TV.'

Rooney lost his appeal over a ban for swearing into a TV camera - just a day after his £2.5m deal with Coca-Cola was axed.

Rooney will now face a two-match ban after Premier League chiefs refused to overrule the suspension that followed his shocking foul-mouthed rant during a league clash with West Ham on Saturday.

Reacting to the news that the ban would not be overturned, Rooney said he was 'gutted' to miss the games but added: 'Whatever, I have to accept that what's happened has happened and move on from here. That is what I intend to do.'

Meanwhile, the Coca Cola, whose products Rooney has endorsed since 2006, yesterday said it had cut all ties with the Manchester United and England star.

The development comes as a senior police officer with the UK's second largest force said Rooney would have been locked up if he had shown such 'ridiculous aggression' on a night out as he did on the pitch.

Superintendent Mark Payne, who works for the Wolverhampton force, said his officers would face more Rooneys in the city centre this weekend and 'no doubt somebody will be injured in some meaningless fight'.

'If Rooney had behaved like that in Wolverhampton on Saturday night, I would have expected my officers to lock him up,' Mr Payne said.

'People in positions of influence have an obligation to behave like human beings. It is not a lot to ask.'

Writing on his blog on policing, Mr Payne went on: 'I have seen a thousand Rooneys, and I am sure most police officers will have.

'The same aggressive stance, the bulging eyes, the foul-mouthed rant, fists clenched, surrounded by his mates, all cheering him on.

'I have seen this on Friday and Saturday nights, as young men (and more often young ladies) engage in a "good night out".

'I have seen people argue over almost every kind of nonsense you could imagine. "He stole my place in the taxi queue", "he looked at my girlfriend", "he is from the wrong estate", "I didn't like the look of him".'

He added that while Rooney had 'offered some form of apology', 'what he won't be able to do is alter the impression that he has left in the eyes of the watching youngsters'.

'It is OK to insult and abuse, it is OK to react with ridiculous aggression to perceived slights or provocation, it is excusable because it is the heat of the moment,' he said.

In his statement Rooney said: 'I am gutted to miss two matches, one of which is an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

'I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won't be the last.

'Unlike others who have been caught swearing on camera, I apologised immediately.

And yet I am the only person banned for swearing. That doesn't seem right.'

Banned: Rooney was seen using the F-word twice during celebrations. The FA has now upheld a two match ban for the behaviour


Millions of viewers - including many children - were stunned when they saw Rooney twice use the F-word while celebrating a hat-trick.

The player had appealed the decision, claiming that the punishment for using offensive or insulting behaviour was too excessive for the crime he committed.

It is believed Rooney's argument centred around the swiftness of his apology, which came within hours of the final whistle at Upton Park, and the fact his comments were not directed at anyone in particular.

But the Manchester United forward will now miss Saturday's Premier League encounter with Fulham and that eagerly-anticipated clash with Manchester City at Wembley on April 16.

Officials made the announcement this morning after Rooney had returned to Old Trafford having scored the winner in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Chelsea.

'The Commission did not accept the claim and Rooney will begin the standard two-match suspension with immediate effect,' said a statement on the FA website.

Fizz, pop: Rooney had worked with Coca-Cola in a £600,000-a-year deal since 2006 but it fell apart after claims he used a prostitute


Rooney's rant mirrored scenes at the World Cup last year when the player approached TV cameras after a 0-0 draw with Algeria and made sarcastic comments about England fans who had booed the team.

News of the ban - which could hinder United's title hopes - came a day after Rooney was publicly dropped from his £600,000-a-year sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola.

The 25-year-old footballer had been the face of a major Coca-Cola campaign for several years

But last October he was branded ‘disgusting’ by the company’s U.S. bosses for allegedly sleeping with two prostitutes while his wife Coleen was pregnant.

Prostitute Jennifer Thompson, who charged £1,200 a night, claimed she had enjoyed three-in-a-bed sex sessions with the footballer while his wife Coleen was five months' pregnant with their son Kai.

At the time the soft drinks giant said it wasn’t ‘appropriate’ to use Rooney in advertising promotions but insisted that its relationship with him was ‘ongoing’.

Last night the decision not to renew his lucrative advertising job was hailed as ‘a victory for decency’.

Margaret Morrissey, of the Parents Outloud campaign group, said: ‘These footballers are held in high esteem by this nation’s youngsters and there is an onus on them to show a decent face to the children.

‘I am extremely happy that Coca-Cola has severed links with Wayne Rooney and I hope other companies take note.’

Yesterday Coca-Cola said: ‘We’re really proud of the work we’ve done with Wayne over the years. Our marketing plans have evolved to focus on our sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the upcoming launch of our plans for the Olympic Torch Relay.

‘Our contract with Wayne Rooney came to an end last year and we mutually agreed that we would not renew our relationship.’

Smiles better: Wayne Rooney scores the the winner at Stamford Bridge last night before being mobbed by his teammates




source:dailymail