ENGLAND footballer turned BBC 5 Live pundit Danny Mills has just been invited to join chairman Greg Dyke’s Football Association Commission into the State of English Football.

The commission’s task is to find ways to help England win more football matches by improving our football pedigree, but how far would you go to win a match by means foul as well as fair?

Former Leeds United right-back Mills, who lives in Harrogate, has never been afraid to speak his mind, just as he hit hard on the pitch, and he will be pondering that question of fair play in a fundraising event at Harrogate Royal Hall on Thursday evening.

Mills is bringing together a football celebrity panel for Sporting Truths, an insight into the world of sport that – unlike television or radio – promises “No censorship. No excuses. Just brutal honesty”.

The 8pm evening of sporting debate (and comedy from stand-up Ian Moore), in aid of the charity Shine and Harrogate Theatre Trust, will be hosted by BBC 5 Live sports presenter and Match Of The Day 2 host Mark Chapman.

Mills will be joined on the panel by BBC football pundit Mark Lawrenson; 5 Live presenter Darren Fletcher; former Leeds and England goalkeeper Nigel Martyn; Hartlepool United manager Colin Cooper; Doncaster Rovers boss Paul Dickov; BBC pundit Pat Nevin; former Spurs and Leeds ’keeper Neil Sullivan; and gold medal-winning Paralympian Josie Pearson.

“Basically the premise is sort of a cross between Newsnight, Question Time, Match Of The Day 2 and Five Live’s Monday Night Club – with the gloves off,” says Mills.

“Mark Chapman will be the question master for questions on current sports matters, and you find that when you’re not restrained by TV or radio, it’s an opportunity to get an uncensored insight into what pundits, players and managers really think off the pitch – and a chance for the audience to ask them anything as well as meet the panellists for photos and autographs.”

The theme of the evening will be asking whether all’s fair in sport, testing the boundaries of fair play and addressing three questions: Why seek an unfair advantage? What exactly constitutes cheating? How far would you go to win it all?

Mills, who played for England in the 2002 World Cup and Leeds United in the 2001 Champions League semi-finals, gives an all-embracing answer.

“The sporting world is of such high intensity that you have to be able to compete as a top athlete at the highest level,” he says. “This means you’ll do almost anything – even if it involves pushing the boundaries of fair play.”

The sporting truths and fibs show came about partly through Mills observing the issues surrounding drugs cheats in cycling. “I wrote an article with Henry Winter (the Daily Telegraph’s football correspondent) because we all have this notion that we’re morally sound and would do the right thing, but would we? Can we be sure?”says Mills.

“What is cheating? If you try to define it, who defines where the line should be as most sportsmen will tell you they will bend the line, twist the line and sometimes go over the line as you don’t get to the top unless you’re prepared to test the rules to the limit – and when the reward is greater, so the need to get results fuels the rule-bending.”

Mills’ candour can be disarming. “Are we bothered that Michael Owen now says he may have dived to win the penalty when we beat Argentina at the World Cup? No, we’re not,” he asserts.

“There were plenty of times when people dived to win penalties against me. Morally, it’s massively wrong to cheat, but as we know, morals and sport don’t always go together.

“The big question is, if you knew you could get away with it, would you cheat? If people are honest, really honest with themselves, it would be interesting to see the percentage who would cheat. I suspect it would be quite high.”

Mills draws a comparison. “Every time you break the speed limit, do you go into a police station and ask for three points? No, you don’t, and I don’t see the difference from the sports field.

“If you get away with it, I don’t see the problem,” he says.

The issue of professional sportsmen being seen as role models riles Danny. “I think there’s a role for a true ‘saint’ but the dilemma comes when you talk about professional sport and sport in general. Professional sport is all about winning and you’re solely measured on success, so the pressures are higher,” he says.

“It always grates on me that we’re supposed to be role models. We’re not role models. Footballers are idols and that’s a massive difference from role models.

“Pop stars aren’t seen as role models. They’re idols and they can behave however they want and it’s accepted.”

The burden of expectation on sportsmen runs counter to the realities of playing sport for a living.

“Professional sport is ruthless. It’s dog eat dog and you will do anything to become successful, so at the very top level sport isn’t necessarily driven by enjoyment or pursuit of success but by the fear of failure,” says Mills.

“Don’t get me wrong; playing football was the best job in the world. I loved the training and being involved day to day, but when it comes to those 90 minutes, the scrutiny is so intense; every mistake is highlighted.

“People don’t understand that, but maybe you can only really enjoy it when you’re 3-0 up."

Sporting Truths, An Unmissable Insight Into The World Of Sport, with Danny Mills, Mark Chapman and guest panellists at Royal Hall, Harrogate, Thursday, November 14, 8pm. Box office: 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk

Proceeds go to Shine, a charity that helps families and individuals affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and to Harrogate Theatre Trust. Danny Mills became a patron of Shine when he lost his baby son to spina bifida ten years ago.