Twitter gives an outlet for players to get all “emo”. Altidore joins a list of players who have done exactly that.
We can make a case for Twitter as it became a source of information on the rigged Iranian elections this summer. But in other instances, especially sports, this instant gratification tool has real capacity for abuse and potential to do damage to clubs who don’t want tactics and player information to go public.
It is left to managers to deal with how to regulate content without censuring. Clubs may have to deal with this individually including fines, benching, or suspending Twitter privileges. But the FA or UEFA might want to issue some general guidelines because of the potential for insider information during matches.
At the US Open this year, authorities warned players to be careful of what they posted on social networking sites during the tournament. They feared it could be used to violate anti-corruption rules at the Open.