Football has such low ethical standards THE dubious awarding by FIFA of upcoming World Cups to Russia and Qatar was stained by allegations of corruption and vote-buying on an industrial scale.

Weekly, football fans are treated to the distasteful spectacle of overpaid players plying their trade by routinely cheating, diving in the oppositions’ penalty area and snarling abusively at referees and other match officials.

In a recent highly publicised match, a player clearly used his hand, possibly accidentally, to score a goal; the referee was unsighted and allowed the goal to stand. To my knowledge, not a single commentator or pundit on the match felt aggrieved enough to suggest that the player concerned might have been honest and straightforward and admitted to handball.

This typifies for me the depressingly low ethical standards prevalent in the sport, particularly at the highest levels. This is written with a heavy heart, since I am an enthusiastic sports fan.

Neil Burke, Middle Street, Wilberfoss