Glenn Hoddles is sorry his Chinese joke was so awful

If there's one truth about far too many football commentators, it's that they never learn. Former England manager Glenn Hoddle proved to be one of them on Monday when he made a regrettable comment during Fulham's 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Sky Sports.

From the Telegraph:

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres had lost control of the ball when through on goal, prompting Hoddle to say: "When it's not going for you, it's not going for you. It's come off his chest, his knee and his toe. It's almost like the Chinese player Knee Shin Toe."

Hoddle, who previously lost his job as England manager due to comments about disabled people, said: I can only apologise to those who took offence. There's no excuse. It's an old football expression and I understand I can't say things like that."

Old football expression or not, it's just a lame joke (even without the racial considerations) and after everything Sky just went through with Andy Gray and Richard Keys, you'd think these guys would put a little more thought into what dribbles out of their mouths.

The real question, though, is how these men get jobs that pay them to speak in the first place. The comment Hoddle made to the Times that got him sacked from the England job was about how he thought disabled people are being punished for sins they made in past lives. So, with that in mind, Sky decided to put a microphone in front of him and let him ramble on live television for 90 minutes at a time. And that's how show business works.

Photo: Getty Images


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