Fresh off of his electoral victory, British Prime Minister David Cameron has named MP Tracey Crouch as Minister for Sport.
Crouch is an FA (Football Association) qualified soccer coach. She has coached a girls’ team for the past eight years, and is described as “a keen footballer herself.” During a Tory-Labour match she reportedly embarrassed Labour’s shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy by putting a penalty kick through his legs.
As a Parliament staffer, Crouch played for the Parliament’s soccer team. As an MP, she lost her place when the FA invoked a rule against females above the age of 13 playing on mixed-gender teams. At the time, Crouch called this blanket rule “ridiculous.” As sports minister, perhaps she’ll find a way to issue it a “red card.”
Crouch is a Tottenham Hotspur fan. I’ll overlook this lapse of judgment in light of her sound positions on the next two World Cups. She has urged that Russia be stripped of its status as host of the 2018 Cup and that the decision to hold the 2022 Cup in Qatar be reconsidered.
As to Russia, Crouch says:
I think Russia ought to be stripped now. There’s so much political uncertainty. Football could be used to put pressure on President Putin to change some of his practices.
Russia was seemingly a democratic country when they won the bid. There are now sanctions against the country.
As to Qatar, she says:
Qatar’s staging of the World Cup is shrouded in controversy – whether related to the corrupt way it was awarded the tournament or else the heat in which games will be played.
And now there are potential links to the financing of terrorism as well. I really think this needs to be evaluated and reconsidered. Terrorism is clearly a growing concern.
Crouch apparently is also a boxing fan, which should please John. Recently she visited a boxing club and donned the gloves. Afterwards, she tweeted: “Enjoyed boxing way more than i should have at Chatham’s St Mary’s ABC with @Sport_England & @gbboxing #jabjabhook.”
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