The World Cup Hasn’t Even Started And Wayne Rooney’s Already In Trouble

June 7th, 2010 | by: chris | View Comments

It’s been such a marvelous season for Wayne Rooney, one filled with goals and mature play and more goals, that some of us have forgotten Wayne Rooney is actually still Wayne Rooney. Which means in between the goals he’s liable to find himself on the wrong side of good judgment, likely involving the referee and any of the various (two) colors he’s got itching to jump out of his pocket.

Like today, during the ultra serious friendly against local side Platinum Stars, when he nearly got sent off for mean words yelled at the referee.

Wayne, confirming what we already know (bit of a temper and all that):

“Rooney insulted me,” said Selogilwe. “He said: ‘Fuck you.’ He is a good player when you see him on the television, but when you see him on the pitch he just keeps on insulting the referee.

“To me, it looks like Rooney insults people and fouls other players. If he insults a referee like me, then he will use that vulgar language to other referees as well. He must learn to control his temper. He could get sent off in the World Cup, especially if he uses this kind of language.

“Maybe the England players undermined this game and thought: ‘This is just a friendly, we can do what we like and the referees are not that professional.’ I was very disappointed in Rooney because he is my favourite player, but he will still be my favourite player. He apologised to me and gave me the shirt he was wearing at the end.”

This isn’t wholly surprising, and that it’s against a South African club side means just as little – Rooney family reunions probably sound more ‘Guy Ritchie film’ than ‘evening at the Royal Opera House’. But maybe it should be, since the very last action of the boy’s World Cup career involved a red card, thus maybe he should’ve learned a thing or two.

And with a reputation like that, you’d have to think anything less than a butler’s polite servitude will see ‘10 end in a similar fashion to ‘06.