show me the red card

A Harrogate man is taking Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell to court over claims that his life has been wrecked by their slanderous comments in the press.

In an interview with his local newspaper, Mr Ray Cism, 44, said "This last couple of weeks have been the straw that broke the camel's back. All these personal attacks are leaving me with no self-confidence whatsoever. I don't know what I've done to bring about all this bad feeling from them."

Sol 'n' Ferdi

The main focus of Mr. Cism's legal action centres around specific statements made by the two England players in the light of recent matches played in the Premier League and at international level.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing when I turned on the TV the other day. First it was Harry Redknapp saying he was appalled at the treatment of one of his players and that there was no place for Ray Cism in football, then it was Rio Ferdinand asking FIFA to do more about Ray Cism. It's totally uncalled for and utterly out of proportion with any derogatory comments I may have made about them in the past."

UEFA prevarication

Mr. Cism's fight with the powers that be in the world game go back many years and have largely focused on statements made by UEFA's administrators. "When I heard Michel Platini claiming that Ray Cism was an unpleasant and unwanted aspect of football in parts of Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe, I couldn't believe my ears. I've never even been to the continent as I always take my holidays in Skegness with the wife every year."

Given the boot

The Harrogate Echo also claims Mr. Cism came close to filing a lawsuit against football's governing bodies as far back as 1993. The Onion Bag was told he misunderstood a news report on the radio which he thought referred to a campaign called 'Let's Kick Ray Cism Out Of Football'. Only an eleventh-hour discussion with his lawyer, Mr. Les Dyke, prevented full litigation from going ahead at the time.