Clifford: 'FA should bring players to book'

Public relations guru Max Clifford believes the Football Association should write to all clubs demanding the right to check all player autobiographies.

The FA have come under fire for not launching an immediate investigation into the serialisation of Roy Keane’s new book.

Keane looks certain to be facing a disrepute charge having admitted he deliberately set out to injury Alf Inge Haaland with his horror tackle on the Norwegian in the last Manchester derby.

FA chief executive Adam Crozier stated no action could be taken until the book was published at the end of this month.

However, Clifford, recently appointed PR advisor to Leeds United, thinks it would have been easy for the FA to have requested a copy from the publishers, saving two weeks of bad publicity for the game.

“There are three steps to this – prevention, explanation and punishment,” said Clifford.

“Things like this are damaging, not just to Roy Keane but to the game itself and the best way to minimise the damage is to stop it happening at all.

“In conjunction with the Professional Footballers’ Association, the FA should write to all clubs and advise them they wish to check all books before they are published.

“Not everyone will comply but if you have advised them in writing there can be no excuses afterwards.

“In this instance, the FA should have got hold of a copy of the book, then requested a meeting with Roy Keane to find whether the words were his and if he stands by them. If he does then you have to act.”

Crozier has said he will not be scared to dish out a heavy penalty regardless of Keane’s standing in the game.

Clifford agrees with the sentiment, adding that ’the bigger the name, the more responsibility you have’.

“It is something I make all my clients aware of,” he said.

“A lot of youngsters are influenced by the big names and articles such as this damage the credibility of the game.

“It is very important the FA are seen to be strong and fair. In a situation like this Roy Keane appears to be condemned by his own mouth.”