Too late for FA Banks tributes

DURING his lifetime, Gordon Banks felt snubbed by the Football Association. ‘They have done nothing for us,’ he said, considering the treatment of his fellow World Cup winners. ‘I have been very, very disappointed with the FA.’ Now he has passed on, that has all changed. At Wembley on Friday, a giant, yellow crowd-surfing banner depicting Banks’ iconic goalkeeper’s jersey will be among various tributes before England play the Czech Republic. There will be a period of appreciation prior to the game, family members in the Royal Box, donations to a Banks charity and kind words in the programme. This all chimes very much with Joe Orton’s view of religious institutions. ‘It’s life that defeats the Christian church,’ he wrote. ‘She’s always been well equipped to deal with death.’