The latest madness from Massimo part one.
As a father of five boys and someone who also despises discrimination, I have to draw the line at the LUFC 2016 Calendar.
The much publicised release is the brain-child of a Terry George, who also took the photos. I must admit I had no idea who Mr George was, from what I gather he has struck up a close friendship with Massimo when our majority shareholder moved near to him in the city-centre.
From what I can gather, Mr George owns a couple of night-clubs in the city. His wiki entry also describes him as an entrepreneur. Apparently he is gay. During his childhood, I understand he struck up a bizarre friendship with Michael Jackson and the musician used to phone him up at 21:00 most nights during his teenage years.
I quite liked some of Jacko's music, up until the 1987 "Bad" album, but he was a bit of a weirdo when all was said and done. I acknowledge there was nothing ever proven about him and kids, but I'm sorry if he was still alive and asked to share a bed with any of my young lads I'd blinking well batter him, never mind how much I wanted my copy of "Off the Wall" autographing.
The sexualisation of boys and girls worries me. Cheryl Wotsherfacethesedays (Cole) and Rita Ora will turn up to the X-Factor in some skimpy outfit which looks like it was designed by Vivienne Westwood on crack; before you know it Primark will be stocking similar gear for seven year old girls
This calendar clearly has homoerotic undertones. Casper Sloth bare chested in fishermans waders? Maybe the Dane has taken up coarse fishing seriously because he's done bugger-all else for the past 12 months!
Then there's Marco Silvestri in a pair of shorts lying in a hammock. To be fair, Silvestri does look more relaxed and switched-off on a match day than from Terry's lens, but nice try eh?
I'm sorry to sound like an old Thatcherire or worse still Richard Littlejohn, but I won't be letting my kids near this. I'm not going to go as far as calling it filth, like Mary Whitehouse probably would have done but there's a time and place for this sort of thing and a calendar loved by Leeds United youngsters and isn't the ideal platform.
It should all be about good old fashioned Varley picture agencyesque action shots, not pandering to sexual fantasy and obscurity. It should be a cherished stocking filler not something near the top-shelf.
I agree football has got some catching up to do as far as homophobia is concerned. Look at Rugby Union and the Gareth Thomas affair? Our former MD David Haigh touched upon this with his support for Stonewall whilst in office. This included inviting former winger Robbie Rogers over from his native US, Rogers is so-far probably the most high-profile player to have played in the English game to have "come out". The fact that Rogers is famed for this more than anything he did whilst in a white-shirt is symbolic. Haigh himself too is gay but this didn't become public-knowledge until he was languishing in a Dubai Jail on charges brought against him by our part-owners GFH Capital. Clearly something is wrong if Haigh felt unable to declare his sexuality whilst in the employ of an Islamic bank at a tough northern English club?
But I'm afraid this is just tacky. Yet more glorification and self-publicity from Terry George. Up the road in Middlesbrough, another George in George Friend has inspired the Smoggies to divert from the traditional footy poses into a Calendar Girls spoof. This has been done to raise cash for redundant Steelworkers and well-done the Boro lads. Our own effort seems to be the whim of a serial attention seeker who worryingly seems to exert lots of power at Elland Road this days. It is yet another story that brings ridicule to our great club which has been the laughing stock of English football for the past 12 years.
So I won't touch it with a barge pole. I'd feel the same if it featured the Leeds players cavorting with Playboy Bunnies and Penthouse models. However thanks to Cellino's latest gaffe I have the perfect excuse to explain to the kids why they shouldn't have it without going into the conversation every parent dreads more than "Dad, can I have a Man United shirt?"; eg sex.
Cellino has apparently put the entire first-team squad up for sale. Why bother buying it if the participants are likely to be sold in January?waders, hammocks and all!