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.'
