Former England defender Paul Parker says Ashley Cole should have been omitted from Fabio Capello's England squad as punishment for his rant at White Hart Lane.

"Cole may well have blamed his horror tackle and subsequent rant at referee Mike Riley on the 'heat of the moment' and his being an 'emotional person' but that cannot be used as an excuse.

It was a horrific tackle, one that could easily have broken Alan Hutton's leg and left his career in serious danger. And his reaction afterwards was no better - it was petulant and utterly disrespectful.

There was no ball for him to win and he hit the Spurs player full on in the shin. I'm in no doubt that he should have been dismissed - I feel there was real malice in the challenge.

Why haven't we heard anything from Sepp Blatter about this one? If the FIFA chief wants to condemn dangerous tackles, he should start with Cole and spare his breath on the likes of Martin Taylor, who for me simply made a clumsy challenge on Eduardo a couple of weeks ago.

Perhaps Cole - or more likely his advisors - expected some kind of charge to be brought against him and that is why he apologised so soon after the event, even if it was issued purely to quell the storm as quickly as possible.

As a defender myself, I know that sometimes an opponent will annoy you on the pitch and you will be tempted to react when going in for a tackle.

Professional players should be determined and strong in the challenge - if you don't play on the edge, you shouldn't be in the game - but you know where the line is and you make sure you never cross it.

The FA are powerless to take any further action against Cole, but Fabio Capello had a great chance to mete out some form of punishment when he named his second England squad.

Cole should never have been included after his rant at Riley. If Capello, who witnessed the incident first hand, wants players to start showing more respect, he should have left him out and not put a date on a possible return.

Then, it would have been up to Cole to win back his place by behaving himself both on and off the pitch.

Footballers are role models - more so than in my day - because they are so much in the public eye, and consequently they have to take responsibility for their actions.

I've said it before but to live like a monk for 15-odd years and concentrate on your game during that time is a small price to pay for the benefits that can be enjoyed in later life. Surely that's not too much to ask for."

Eurosport