Terry Exposed As Ruling Overturned By High Court

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John Terry was today named as the sportsman who was behind a gagging injunction involving an alleged "affair" with another footballer's girlfriend.

Chelsea star Terry's legal representatives had originally applied and won a High Court injunction in a private hearing last Friday after learning that a Sunday tabloid, thought to have been the News of the World, had planned to publish a story regarding his private life.

The controversial gagging order, also known in legal circles as a 'superinjunction', stops newspaper groups from revealing who had applied to prevent the story leaking, publication of details of the story, and any photographs related to the story.

However, Mr Justice Tugendhat lifted the injunction, commenting that "the information was in "wide circulation amongst those involved in the sport in question, including agents and others, and not just amongst those directly engaged in the sport".

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Britain's media outlets and experts see this landmark case as a victory for free press, who feel that the issuing of court injunctions takes away the British public's right to know.

In contrast, golfer Tiger Woods' affairs have been extensively covered by American news and media outlets across the pond, with stories such as these given the freedom of publication by United States law. However, two weeks after the allegations were first made public, Woods won an injunction in the UK much like Terry's, preventing the British media from publishing new details on his personal life, prompting fears that foreign litigants can soon take advantage of repressive British laws.

In light of these recent revelations, Terry is now expected to suffer an enormous amount of backlash from supporters fearing that this latest scandal will wreck England's preparations for the World Cup, and national team manager Fabio Capello, who will face pressure to replace Terry as England's captain. And like Woods, Terry must also face the prospect of several sponsorship contracts being terminated in this latest blow to his scandal-ridden career.

Justice Tugendhat's overturned decision is bound to cause a profound effect for the future of journalism and Britain's much-criticised privacy laws. John Terry's alleged infidelity is national headline news, such is his status in England, and this can only be good news for media circles across the country, as the principles of free press gained a vital victory.