New Wales boss Craig Bellamy accepts cheering against England was wrong
Craig Bellamy has addressed bullying and xenophobic behaviour allegations made against him during his time as an academy coach and says he was wrong to cheer against England in front of young English footballers.
The new Wales manager stepped down from his position as Cardiff Under-18s coach in January 2019 as the Sky Bet Championship club conducted claims against him and others.
The following October, Cardiff said their academy players had faced an “unacceptable coaching environment” at the club.
As well as supporting England’s opponents in front of young English players, Bellamy was said to have turned the sound down on the television when God Save The Queen was playing before England’s 2018 World Cup semi-final with Croatia and also shown his contempt for Bristol City.
Disputed
Bellamy, who denied and disputed the allegations and was not the subject of any disciplinary proceedings, apologised for any offence he caused and subsequently rebuilt his coaching career by assisting Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and Burnley.
The 45-year-old, who won 78 Wales caps and played for Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle, says he did not appreciate how his behaviour could impact young players in the Cardiff academy.
“I trusted the disciplinary process and respected it,” Bellamy said when asked how he had come through that difficult period.
“I understood, as well, there’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know – like cheering against England in a game in front of people from England. It’s not correct. You can’t do that.
“I didn’t know that. I honestly thought it was just nature for me. I didn’t understand how a young 18-year-old English boy might have felt.
“So I apologised for that. There’s a lot a lot of things like that I thought might like sound right, but it actually could be a deal and I didn’t realise.
“So, I have to take that into account as well – and I did.”
Anderlecht
Bellamy returned to football coaching under-18 and under-21 players at Anderlecht, helping current Manchester City and Belgium winger Jeremy Doku among others progress their careers.
He spent over two years in Belgium before being reunited with Kompany at Burnley, during which time the Clarets won the Championship title with 101 points and then suffered Premier League relegation.
Bellamy said: “I went to Anderlecht and had an opportunity again to work with under-18s.
“But the amount of relationships I still have with a lot of players from those (Cardiff) moments is hugely important to me as well.
“The message for every youth coach who goes into youth coaching is, ‘please, be mindful. Please. Really do your homework and the levels you’re going into and what you allow’.
“I wasn’t dealing with 12, 13 or 14 year-olds. These were 17, 18-year-olds. If you’re in school, then obviously you don’t swear.
“I thought, after school, maybe, you know, in that environment, I could turn a blind eye to it. But you can’t do that.”
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Sorry but I disagree with Craig Bellamy. He should not apologise for cheering against England or regret turning down the TV volume when God Save The Queen was played. He or any other player should not show deference to England because it’s England. We must stop this doff your cap to our superior. England is our sporting rival, and the idea we must prostrate ourselves when England is playing in a tournament absolutely ridiculous. I as a Welshman will never support England although I wish them no ill like any other nation entering a competition. I only support one team.… Read more »
I mute the tv do. It’s Principle! But saying that, my TV is hardly ever on because it’s 99% English, 0.5% Scottish, 0.3% British. Sky news for example is basically English in all but name, they only refuse to call it English as to avoid having to give Wales and Scotland their own.
Kind of based behaviour in the first place IMO
Why not use normal words?
What a load of cac, leave Craig Bellamy alone, and let the English press try to undermine our team without NationCymru helping. Cheering the team you support, in the face of the opposition is what soccer is about , take that away, and there is nothing left. Any player who doesn’t play for my team is a tosser, untill he plays for Cymru, then we are one team, one fan base, one Cymru.
Don’t cheer another team against England, unless it is your own. As for ‘God Save the Queen’ or ‘God Save the King’, I have no time for that song, whatsoever! It is NOT my National Anthem, Mae Hen Wlad fy Nhadau is. I will be respectful of the English National Anthem, but I won’t sing it and I will never understand singing about any Head of State. A National Anthem should have citizens singing about their country, people, culture and language. Anything else is propaganda and control.
Nothing wrong about it! He ain’t English, so why would he not? It’s not like he cheered against some country thousand of miles away that has no history of centuries worth of xenophobic actions towards us. This was England! I’d be worried if he didn’t.
I agree with Y Cymro, that Craig Bellamy has nothing to apologise for!
It seems, to me, that the english fa must go through a vast amount of cotton wool as a consequence of how much is used to wrap around their 17 and 18 year-old players. Shame on Cardiff too for their actions in this matter!
I always mute the sound to prevent soiling my ears with the dirge of the english anthem (whatever the circumstances). I always support their opposition and hoping for a Spanish win today!
The headline is a little misleading. He didn’t say cheering against England was wrong. He said cheering against England in front of English teenagers while you’re their coach is wrong.
I don’t see why cheering for a team playing England Infront of English people is bad. Snowflakes.
What complete and utter rubbish! Bellamy is free to support any team he wants. What we don’t need is an unhealthy kowtowing to English football and the English FA. Just look at the teams playing today, England and Spain, to see how diverse the backgrounds of footballers in Europe are. Ethan Ampadu, for example, could have played for at least three nations. The fact that Bellamy doesn’t have a colonial mindset shows he’s well-positioned to understand the complexities of conflicting allegiances. The quote from the eighteen-year-old player upset that Craig Bellamy wasn’t supporting England are the words of a disgruntled… Read more »
Any 18 year old that easily offended was never going to make it in professional football anyway.
Definately not wrong. Indigenous Welsh see Prince William and George support England. What’s the difference?
What a load of bull. By this parameter, Swansea fans should cheer on Cardiff, ditto Wrexham and Chester, Celtic and Rangers, Man Utd and Man City, Barcelona and Español. And England fans should support near-neighbours France (only 21 miles away from them) once their lot is knocked out of a competition.
I will certainly be doing a Craig tonight & supporting Spain…
No dislike for English people as I have many English relatives its because of the over – bearing English media & pundits especially, Gary, Shearer,Richards and Ian Wright……
Over-bearing is a good word to describe the media. The pressure on the England management and players must be back breaking, given the forensic, near-neurotic bone-picking analysis and investigation that goes on pre/mid/post game … and from all manner of sources / channels.
the correct score on Sunday was Euskadi (The Basque Country) 2 England 1 Just check out the goalscorers and their clubs….