CGM blog: All been Saido before

14 Sep CGM blog: All been Saido before

Saido Berahino. Many people have had lots to say about this young man and his use of Twitter – too little has been rational, too much is ill-informed.

For the uninitiated, Berahino is a talented England Under 21 striker who plays for West Brom, bagged 20 goals in all competitions last season, is on the cusp of the senior national side and was seemingly bound to join Tottenham Hotspur in a big money move this summer.

Only it didn’t happen.

Spurs refused to stump up West Brom’s not unreasonable asking price (£25m+) and although the alleged offer they eventually made was said to be around that figure, it was reportedly divided into instalments and performance related payments.

When the deal collapsed in the final moments of August’s transfer deadline window, Berahino, not for the first time, took to Twitter. He tweeted that he’d never play for West Brom, or more precisely for club chairman Jeremy Peace, again. He followed this up two days later with a thumbs up photograph on a plane – seeming reward for being freed from training for a few days to let the dust settle.

Sadly, this was the same day as the photo of the three-year-old Syrian refugee washed up on a Turkish beach that shook the world.

The contrast of the spoiled Premier League footballer and a child who’d lost his life fleeing a war-torn country couldn’t have been starker – or more ironic. Berahino had arrived in England as a 10-year-old refugee from Burundi after his father had been killed to join his mum and brother who had already settled in Birmingham. A year later he joined West Brom’s academy and his route to football stardom began. A different spin on the phrase ‘making it’.

Berahino, a bright boy who left school with 10 GCSEs, has ‘previous’ with social media – a loaded gun sat on his mobile phone that he should have been advised to leave well alone long ago.

Many people have said many things about this incident – including whether he should even be allowed to play for West Brom again (or, indeed, would want to) – but probably the most sensible words came from WBA boss Tony Pulis, who said there was blame on all sides: Berahino, obviously for his rant, but also both clubs, the media and, maybe, even fans for reacting too strongly to the naivety of a 22-year-old.

My take? We’ve all made mistakes – and responsibility must come with the salary of being a top sportsmen. This much is true. But, you know, it is easy to do daft things when you’re young and we all have different experiences.

By Berahino’s age I’d worked in commercial offices for six years – I’d learned how to communicate with people. His culture has mainly been a football training ground. It’s a different environment. Let he who casts the first stone….

Now I don’t know the exact ins and outs of player education at West Brom (who have had problems in the past with other players resorting to Twitter), or other clubs for that matter, but something is clearly missing in the game’s efforts to educate players on the perils of social media.

A long shadow may also be cast over the role of external advisers such as player agents and maybe even the players’ union, the PFA, who should also proactively provide advice, support and education for young players on using social media with care.

Already there is talk of Berahino being unlikely to join Spurs at a later date. His value may also have diminished with other clubs possibly reluctant to spend big on a seemingly errant troublemaker who may kick off on Twitter to disrespect the brand (yuk) and image of the club at a moment’s notice. That cannot be good.

Unusually in this case we cannot blame an agent as Berahino is said to have negotiated his own deal and there are some mitigating circumstances.

Both clubs played cat and mouse and arguably toyed with his emotions. Tottenham seemed to spend more time tipping off the press about the impending move to unsettle the player and test West Brom’s nerve rather than negotiating a deal which may have been wrapped up to everyone’s content.

So I’m turning this one around. Berahino has been misguided and wrong – no question. But you don’t need to be a spoiled Premier league footballer to make mistakes on Twitter.

I see so-called mature business people make similar mistakes on social media all the time. The secret is to learn and develop the skills to promote a positive image and reputation.

Berahino needs to repair both these facets. The first hurdle has been passed – West Brom fans accepted him back to the fold last weekend with barely a murmur of protest. Pulis did a good, old fashioned sensible thing – he took Saido and his mum out for dinner. It is a start….

Conducting a war of words via Twitter is never a good thing for any of us and should be avoided at all costs.

Chris Green is managing partner of all round communications company, Chris Green Media, and the author of Every Boy’s Dream – England’s Football Future On The Line.

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