I AM disgusted at the amount of press coverage given to York publican Craig Holt in his (sadly successful) attempt to defy the advice given by the FA and watch the England football team play in Turkey.

The manner in which the articles were written made him appear guilty of getting up to no more than "lads' tricks" in his quest to follow his flawed stars, even though in his own words he had to resort to pretend to be Scottish to get in.

No problem there, because the Scots are always welcome visitors abroad, unlike too many of my soccer-following fellow countrymen.

Anybody who has unwittingly been caught up in one of their little overseas jaunts will no doubt echo my sentiments.

M Cotton,

Greendike,

Wigginton, York.

...AS a subject of this "Great Britain", and a non-interested, non-participant of football, I should like to ask a question: why couldn't supporters go to Turkey?

Having listened to numerous discussions, I have concluded that this is another one of the "do as I say, not as I do" laws.

Supporters follow a game throughout the season and are told by "'those who must be obeyed" that they cannot go to Turkey to support their team because there could be trouble.

I can understand and support fully preventing the hooligan element of football supporters entering Turkey, but the average supporter should have been allowed in. It's the "nanny state" syndrome once again: they pre-suppose that all supporters are going to make trouble and all the Turks are going to fight.

Is the governing body of football trying to tell me that I am not capable of making a decision for myself about whether or not I should go to a country to watch my favourite sport and follow my team?

Should I therefore not go for a holiday in case I happen to mention David Beckham or football boots, and incite the ordinary Turks I meet to "fever pitch"?

Olga Shepherdson,

Wenlock Terrace,

Fulford Road, York.

Updated: 11:13 Wednesday, October 15, 2003