LONDON // Sol Campbell, the former England defender, believes he would have been national team captain for more than 10 years if he was white, according to extracts from his new biography that is being serialised by The Sunday Times newspaper.
Campbell, 39, who was born in east London to Jamaican parents, claimed the English FA decided it could not have a black face leading the England side on a regular basis.
“It’s crazy,” he was quoted as saying in extracts from biography. “I don’t think it will change because they don’t want it to, and probably the majority of fans don’t want it either.”
“It’s alright to have black captains and mixed race in the Under 18s and Under 21s but not for the full national side.”
The FA has declined to comment on the claims.
Campbell, a former Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal defender who has 73 caps, captained England under Glenn Hoddle against Belgium in 1998 aged 23 years and 248 days when he became their second youngest captain after World Cup-winner Bobby Moore.
He was given the armband again by Hoddle against the Czech Republic, also in 1998, and led his country out against the United States in 2005 when Sven-Goran Eriksson was manager.
Campbell played at three World Cups, featuring in 10 games and scoring once, plus three European Championships before announcing his retirement in 2012, having been released by Newcastle United the previous year.
“I think the FA wished I was white,” added Campbell. “I had the credibility, performance-wise, to be captain... and I was a club captain early on in my career (at Spurs). I believe if I was white, I would’ve been England captain for over 10 years.”
Campbell also said he did not understand why Michael Owen, the former Liverpool striker, was made captain ahead of him.
“The more caps I won, the further away I seemed to be pushed from becoming captain,” said Campbell, who won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with Arsenal, a League Cup with Tottenham and another FA Cup with Portsmouth.
“I played well, acted honourably on and off the field, but there was little recognition. Owen was a fantastic forward but nowhere near being a captain. It was embarrassing. I kept asking myself: ‘what have I done?’
“I’ve asked myself many times why I wasn’t (made captain). I keep coming up with the same answer. It was the colour of my skin.”
In an interview with The Sunday Times magazine, Campbell said the soccer hierarchy needed to “change its mentality” and “get more people from other backgrounds, black and Indian, and get them involved in the leadership of the game.
“A lot of black players are now playing for England and if you want to represent that properly you’ve got to change the backroom staff to have a bit more colour in there.”
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
