YOU never know, in the fullness of time, David Beckham may just conceivably be forgiven for ruining our World Cup chances last year.

Until then, though, it is only right that Beckham has equal access to basic human privileges such as legal protection.

So the FA should not have even bothered examining a video of the Manchester United star's two-fingered gesture to the Leeds morons on Saturday.

Instead, the authorities should be pressing the police to examine the crowd control footage in order to pinpoint anyone caught mouthing those obscenities aimed at Beckham's baby Brooklyn.

There is a crime in this country of conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.

If one of these knuckle-scrapers accused a stranger in the pub of sexually abusing their child, even the most ardent pacifist would struggle to resist physical violence.

In context, therefore, Beckham's response to the Yorkshire animals was about as inflammatory as a wet box of Swan Vesta. There is, quite rightly, a campaign within football to kick out racism.

If the cross-Pennine cretins had been making monkey noises, the police would have been duty-bound to eject them from the stadium.

It appears acceptable, however, for thugs to trivialize and revel in as grave a subject as child abuse while stewards and law enforcers stand idly by chewing their gum and attempting to intimidate.

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor was spot on when he pleaded: "I can't think of any better reasons in mitigation if somebody was hurling such vile abuse at anybody.

"You would be less than human if it didn't affect you."

He was probably referring to those Leeds United retards.

Neil Bramwell is the Sports Editor

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.