What's offside? 'It's er, er...'
-
Prince William, the new FA president, admits he doesn't know the rule, and fails as goalkeeper
November 01, 2005
AN inept goalie, and someone who can't grasp the game's most complex rule. That's the profile of the new Football Association (FA) president of England.
But there's something Prince William was at ease doing - performing acrobatic leaps with the squad, which was in keeping with his recent work experience as part of a ballet team.
The 23-year-old prince is taking over from his uncle, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
He had turned up for a kickabout at the Charlton Football Club yesterday - his first job as the president, reported The Mirror.
Asked to explain the offside rule, he spluttered: 'It's er... er... actually, I won't even go there.'
The embarrassing moment came as Prince William met children involved in Charlton's youth programme.
'DODGY KEEPER'
He followed it up with a dismal performance as goalkeeper as he joined a training session with the South London club's Premiership side.
He took a turn between the posts and was met with chants of 'Dodgy keeper!' from young fans as he let in four penalties.
The second in line to the throne and a self-confessed Aston Villa fan, the prince could probably be forgiven for not being completely up to date with the offside rule.
Even die-hard supporters and top TV pundits are struggling to come to terms with FIFA's latest instructions to referees.
But Prince William, who played footie at Eton and St Andrews, couldn't be faulted for enthusiasm. He said he would 'definitely' be going to next year's World Cup in Germany, even though it clashed with his Sandhurst officer training course, which begins in January.
Sources at the tough military academy last night diplomatically hinted that his belief that he would get time off was 'misplaced'.
But Prince William was adamant. He said: 'The World Cup is a definite. I'm looking forward to it.'
The prince said he wanted to make his presidency of the FA a priority because of the benefits of the sport for young people.
'I really want to try and get more kids involved.
'The power of football is huge and needs to be harnessed. And at the same time the sportsmanship side of the game is a key issue to focus on.' -
He is more of a rugby player than a footbal player
-
yay!! he can make villa's fixture list not so crammed
