Last Saturday at Stamford Bridge some Chelsea fans were heard singing: "Ashley Cole - he Tweets when he wants!" Cole turned to applaud the fans making the chant as his side eased past Norwich City 4-1.
Showing respect? Maybe towards those who chanted his name, but it came just hours after his first apology to the Football Association for referring to them on the social network site Twitter, as a "bunch of t****."
Cole published the Tweet in response to the Independent Regulatory Committee findings in the John Terry racial abuse case, where in it they accused Cole of "evolving" his statement in support of Terry's defence.
On Tuesday, the Football Association's new centre of excellence, St George's Park, was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. But as the Three Lions crest was pulled from over a plaque to rubberstamp the grand opening, the underlying story was of Cole's latest wrong doing.
Earlier in the day Cole had met with FA chairman David Bernstein to offer a second apology for the offensive Tweet.
The apology was accepted but it is the latest in a long line of controversial mishaps from Cole and once again highlights the growing problem within the national game. Respect! Or, a lack of it.
This is not a witch-hunt against Cole, because let's be honest, it could have been any footballer actively involved with Twitter. Cole is a world class left-back. His performances last season, particularly in the Champions League, were outstanding. He had been outstanding for many years. Ask Cristiano Ronaldo.
But it's off the field where Cole lets himself down. Remember the incident where he fired an air rifle at a work experience student in 2011?
So, when Cole decided to join the social media site Twitter in July 2012, it appeared he was an accident waiting to happen.
The aim of St George's Park is to improve the quality of coaching and player development. But unless the respect levels are raised a couple of notches too, then domestically the Premier League's reputation could take a battering and internationally the country may also face many more disappointing tournaments.
You only have to look at the last World Cup in South Africa to find evidence of this. The fact that players sat in the same changing room didn't see eye to eye wasn't really a problem. It was their inability to pull together in an attempt to win for their country. Unforgivable you could argue, but it all stems from the same level of respect Cole showed when writing his Tweet.
So in this latest case, how do we combat this problem and send out the right message? Prevent Cole from winning his 100th cap? Surely not? In a word, yes, we do!
You can't fine players today because it simply doesn't work, but, a domestic and international ban might go some way to solving the problem.
Cole took to Twitter the following day: "Game time! Can't wait to get back to what I love doing, playing football." Therefore, let's hit him where it hurts: ban him for club and country. If he takes the Terry route and decides to retire from international football then it opens up the chance for someone else to come through.
Cole will get his 100th cap and performances on the pitch say he deserves it. But, after his latest stunt, can't we make him work for it?
Only at the weekend we were talking about players diving. This is not only a problem with the many foreign players who play in the Premier League. Current England internationals Danny Welbeck and Ashley Young have been accused of it in recent months. Again, the diving displays a lack of respect to fellow players.
We have been told to expect to see the benefits of St George's Park in two World Cups time. England can be provided with the best facilities in the world. They can train coaches and players to a standard that enables them to compete and win major tournaments. We can talk about formations, possession, developing our youth. But respect? It's an area in which we fall short.
Let's put the Respect Campaigns on hold for a while and see some evidence of it on the pitch and training field. I don't think anyone is being fooled by players wearing T-shirts during their pre-match stretch. It's time for actions to replace the words and until the powers that be, the Premier League, FA, whoever, take a stand, then I fear we will be having this discussion for many years to come and ultimately our game will suffer - as it currently is.
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