Sport Football
Betting firm link to
shock Rooney move
comes under fire
By Tom Morgan
SPORTS NEWS CORRESPONDENT
Wayne Rooney’s unveiling at Derby
County in an apparent partnership
with a betting firm was branded
“crass” last night by one of the key
figures behind Britain’s gambling
laws.
The Daily Telegraph had revealed
on Monday how the former Man-
chester United and England captain
was in line for a sensational return
to English football in a player-coach
role working under manager Phil-
lip Cocu.
However, excitement around the
announcement of his deal by the
Championship club yesterday was
undermined by the news he would
wear the No 32 shirt when he joins
in January as part of the club’s part-
nership with 32Red.
Derby owner Mel Morris de-
fended the move, saying he was
keen to “leverage Wayne’s involve-
ment”. He added: “Obviously, the
commercial opportunities this cre-
ates are widespread and signifi-
cant.”
But Richard Caborn, the former
minister who helped mastermind
the 2005 Gambling Act which led
to billions of pounds in investment
from betting firms, said the part-
nership was embarrassing. “It’s not
very clever this – it all seems a bit
crass,” he said. “Wayne Rooney,
who has got kids himself, should
perhaps know this is not the bright-
By Graham Hill
Football Association representa-
tives will travel to the United States
to help Wayne Rooney fast-track
his coaching qualifications after his
signing by Derby County.
England’s record goalscorer in-
sists playing is his priority after
signing an initial 18-month contract
with the Championship club, which
will begin in January, but plans to
go into coaching and then manage-
ment. He says he has already started
his coaching badges and will con-
tinue working for those qualifica-
tions – starting next week.
“I started doing my coaching
badges a few years ago now,
through my children I couldn’t al-
ways find time to fit them in,”
Rooney explained. “The FA are
flying out next Monday to continue
them, and when I’m back in
England, I’ll have more time to fulfil
the requirements.
“That will come and your badges
are obviously important, every
coach needs to go through that
process. It’s something I’m looking
forward to continue doing.
“Even during the coaching
badges, you can learn new things
and you can work on ideas without
the fear of losing a game while
you’re doing it.”
When asked if he would be a
qualified coach by January, he
added: “I will have them, yes.”
Rooney said the words of Sir Alex
Ferguson, his former Manchester
United manager, will ring in his
ears when he begins coaching.“I always remember Alex Fergu-
son saying, ‘The hardest thing to do
in life is to work hard’. That’s true,
no matter what you do, if you’re
working in an office, in a day job,
the most difficult thing to do is to
stay motivated and work hard. If
you can do that it’s a great quality to
have. The important thing is to re-
member what not to do as a coach.”
When asked if he still had the fire
to continue playing, even in the
second tier, he replied: “Of course, I
love football, it’s what I’ve done my
whole life. If that wasn’t there I
wouldn’t be playing still today. So
long as my body is ready and able,
I’ll continue. That comes from
where you grow up and how you’re
brought up. I was always brought
up to work hard. That will always
be with me.”est. The gambling companies need
to be doing themselves favours at
the moment, but this is not going to
go down well with football authori-
ties or the Government.”
Rooney takes the No 32 shirt, de-
spite 7, 12, 13, 15 and 18 – the number
he wore in his first spell at Everton- being vacant. DC United, his club
in Washington, have waived a
transfer fee and reports suggest he
will earn around £100,000 a week.
The average weekly wage in the
Championship is £20,000.
Gambling firms recently agreed
to stop advertising during live
sports amid criticism over their in-
creasing profile in the 12 years since
the Gambling Act came into force
and permitted online casinos and
bookmakers to vastly increase their
profile. However, Caborn also cited
the recent sponsorship stunt by
Paddy Power with Huddersfield
Town as evidence that companies
had exploited the wide-ranging
laws he helped introduce. He said:
“They have abused their position.”
Rooney arrived at Heathrow Air-
port yesterday morning after flying
overnight from the United States,
where he plays for MLS club DC
United. “To be honest, the number
that I wear is not a big deal,” he said
later. “I’ve worn many numbers.
For me, the important thing was to
come back and help the team.”
However, Morris announced his
signing had sparked a new sponsor-
ship deal with 32Red, one of the
English Football League’s biggest
brands. “On the back of Wayne join-
ing the club, we have just been of-
fered a record-breaking sponsorship
deal with our principal shirt spon-
sor, 32Red,” he said. “We are keen to
leverage Wayne’s involvement and
the support of 32Red with our com-
munity initiatives, expanding the
work such as the Team Talk mental
health programme which is sup-
ported by our Community Trust
and 32Red. These are key initiatives
to us as a club and demonstrate the
benefits of commercial initiatives
that are truly aligned to the objec-
tives of all parties, club fan base and
community.”
Rooney earns more than £3 mil-
lion a year in Washington and will
return to the US today, before train-
ing tomorrow ahead of Sunday’s
game with LA Galaxy. Rooney, who
will turn 34 in October, will remain
with DC for the final nine regular-
season matches and the play-offs,
should DC advance.
Dressed in a grey tracksuit and
baseball cap, Rooney posed for pic-
tures with fans as he waited to col-
lect his luggage before he and agent
Paul Stretford headed to Derby.
Morris believes bringing in
Rooney will be a major boost. “Why
wouldn’t you want a player with his
background?”
Neil Banbury, 32Red’s general
manager, said: “We are delighted
that our commitment to the club
has allowed Derby to bring in an
England legend who will not only
improve the first team, but add in-
valuable experience to an already
strong coaching set-up.
“Our partnership with Derby
County Community Trust, and the
extended relationship with Derby
County Football Club, shows a new
model for football club sponsorship
is possible.”Former sports minister
attacks tie-up as ‘crass’
Ex-England striker tries
to keep focus on Derby
FA to fast-track coaching badges in US
American adventure
Rooney has all it takes
to help Derby complete
leap to Premier League,
writes Sam Wallace
T
he long journey into Major
League Soccer was
embarked upon much too
early in his career by Wayne
Rooney, to a country where the
game is the subject of earnest
development but, for reasons that
can be hard to fathom, can still feel
a little confected.
Rooney was born for the
rivalries of the English game and
when he did at last depart in June
last year for the United States andDC United, it was a personal view
then that he would enjoy the
mayhem of a Championship season
much more.
Derby County will offer him
that, and more, as the club trying
to break the habit of falling just
short of the Premier League. As a
coach, Rooney will offer in an
official capacity what he has
already done for years as a senior
player, advising the younger ones
around him how to handle the
game’s outrageous fortunes. No
one has scaled those peaks, and
fallen quite so hard at times, as the
great English player of the past
decade.
Indeed, the mind drifts back to
the vast losses Rooney was allegedWorth a gamble? Former England striker’s deal
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How we broke the story: The Daily
Telegraph’s article on Monday2 *** Wednesday 7 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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