First Tiger Woods, then John Terry, and now Ashley Cole. What’s next?

Cristiano Ronaldo sends that “I miss you so much” text to Sir Alex Ferguson with a wink? He has been known to be quite the winker after all …

As incredibly ironic as it is that Tiger swings more than just his 3-wood, Terry scored away from home at Burnley the same week it was revealed he scored at Wayne Bridge’s, not to mention he’d been voted Dad of the Year, and Ashley Cole plays more than just the length of the left side of the field; they have also raised serious questions about how our favourite millionaire athletes have been, and should be, spending their down time (no pun intended).

RON AND FERGIE: "I miss you more... No, I miss YOU more!"

The consequences to the three athletes’ respective forms and levels of infidelity have been severe enough, which has only served to fuel the debate – should these players be punished for their off-field shenanigans?

Tiger has lost as much money from sponsors as dignity, while Terry’s loss of the England captaincy he’s dreamed of as a child – and rightly deserved – would have been no less painful.

There has been reports that Cole, whose wife, the incomparable Cheryl Cole (soon to be Tweedy again, hopefully), had forgiven him after his first cheating scandal last year only to have five more women come forward claiming affairs with him this month, could even be placed on the transfer list.

Just why a dirtbag like Ashley Cole would cheat on someone as sweet as Cheryl is just beyond me. Oh wait, it's because he's a dirtbag.

That might seem a tad harsh, but if you asked Carlo Ancelotti last weekend when Chelsea’s crucial match with fellow moneybags Manchester City was overshadowed by talk about the first on-field meeting between Terry and Bridge – Will Bridge risk a red card and give Terry a wedgie? Will Bridge spit in his hand before the pre-match hand-shake? – I think he’d say he could’ve done without the extra drama.

And no, Bridge did not shake his hand, or so much as spare a glance for Terry, his former teammate, best friend and father of two who *gasp!* slept with his baby momma. Never mind that Chelsea lost 4-2.

Ancelotti must have been thanking his lucky stars that Cole was injured. Imagine having two of the most scrutinised footballers in the world at the moment in the same back four.

But it’s nothing like the headache England manager Fabio Capello has to deal with thanks to the two Chelsea players (in more ways than one).

Capello is managing an England World Cup campaign where millions of pounds have already been spent, much of it on his salary. In stripping Terry of the captaincy, he’s merely choosing between the lesser of two evils.

TERRY: "Strip me of the captaincy, eh? You'd better keep a good eye on yer wife, Fab."

Terry was an excellent captain, but being the on-field leader of the most important sporting team in a sports-obssessed nation comes with some moral responsibilities, like it or not, and Capello’s decision had to reflect that.

He was spared a similar decision when Bridge ruled himself out of the England squad last weekend, but that also leaves him short of options apart from an injured Cole whose professionalism is being questioned after allegedly using the team hotel, bus and even staff to arrange some of his affairs.

The Italian seems to thrive on making tough decisions, like sticking with the Frank Lampard-Steven Gerrard midfield axis, or banning the WAGs from England’s World Cup camp; but even he would say this is a tad too much.

Funnily enough, Cole was probably the only England player celebrating Capello’s anti-WAG policy.

In a way, the WAGs demonstrate how the personal and professional lives of high profile athletes are now inextricably connected.

They do deserve sympathy (especially Terry – she was a French underwear model after all…), but with all the money they’re being paid, the endorsement deals they receive, the opportunities and exposure they get, and the undying adulation they receive from fans around the world, surely they have to accept some of the responsibilities of being a public personality.

VANESSA PERONCEL: The French underwear model who tore Capello's World Cup preparations to shreds.

It’s a lot of pressure for young men and women like themselves, but in any case, they’ll probably recover from this all.

Michael Phelps was hailed as an Olympic hero when he turned up at the Winter Olympics in Canada last week, in spite of his bong-smoking incident last year.

After an initial period of shock, people are also starting to calm down over the fact that Tiger and his Woods has a penchant for call girls. Apparently, he’s even received phone calls of support from Obama Barrack and former US president Bill Clinton (who would know a thing or two about recovering from a public affair).

Besides, Tiger, Terry and Cole can all keep playing in the safe knowledge that the fans can’t impeach them. But as Cole is now discovering, his wife can divorce him.