Violence in Sport – Dele v Stokes

This week we await judgment on the discipline of players in two sports: cricket and football. The contrast could not be greater: between the petulance of a schoolboy and the thuggery of a lout. And yet football so often, for reasons simply of class, is presented as unsavoury in comparison to cricket but more often rugby.

Don’t get me wrong: I love a game of rugby. I would far rather watch the titanic duel between Lions and All Blacks – where Lord of the Rings type monsters clash in serried ranks whilst from time to time, by virtue of fleetness of hands, feet or mind, humans slip through to triumph – to some games of football.

I give you early round World Cup matches in summer heat (not Qatar obviously, that would be criminal ins...