Letter: Hounding of Hoddle

Sir: The FA should not have sacked Mr Hoddle over an issue unrelated to football, nor should they have expected him to keep his religious beliefs to himself. Religion is not a private matter, as this case demonstrates. It influences every aspect of the believer's life. At least Mr Hoddle was up-front about that.

What they should have done is insist that he take a course in Religious Studies and Theology. He would then have been taught to think critically about his own beliefs and those of others and he would have been introduced to disabled theology - a new branch of theology in which persons with disabilities reflect on their own experience and the construction put upon the disabled person in various religious traditions.

Being forced to think through these issues properly would surely have been punishment enough.

Professor ELIZABETH STUART

Chair of Christian Theology

King Alfred's College

Winchester