There were howls of disbelief when the former captain of Chelsea FC, John Terry, replied “100% yes” to a social media post by Rupert Lowe calling for “foreigners” to be barred from claiming benefits and for the deportation of migrants who can’t support themselves. How could a footballer – in 2026 for goodness sake! – lean to the right on politics? Haven’t we all quietly agreed that footballers are supposed to be cuddly liberals now?

Terry is not alone in occupying football’s political right flank

Terry is not alone in occupying football’s political right flank

Ever since the England men’s team of the 2020 Euros was presented as a progressive collective with shin pads, there’s been a tendency to imagine the whole sport drifting gently leftwards. But, just as the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics turned to be a fairytale, Gareth Southgate’s men proved something of a mirage.

Terry is not alone in occupying football’s political right flank. Dennis Wise, his former Chelsea team-mate, agreed with Lowe’s post, upping the stakes with a “200%” comment of agreement. Ex Man City player Joey Barton has breathlessly tried to rebrand himself as an anti-woke crusader who rages against “inclusion quotas”; Rickie Lambert, the former Southampton........

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