Arsenal captain Tony Adams today called for a ban on alcohol advertising in football to help rid the game of its drink-related problems.
Many players have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this season following excessive drinking sessions.
Adams, himself a recovering alcoholic, told the Daily Mail: "At the moment, drinking is acceptable. It is like smoking back in the sixties when 70 per cent of adults smoked. It was regarded as cool.
"Now, the perception is that it is anything but that and the percentage has dropped to 30 per cent. Advertising is a powerful medium and the anti-smoking advertising has helped a lot. But in football, drink is regarded as acceptable," he said.
"Not too long ago, the Premiership was sponsored by a drinks company. And what do we give the man-of-the-match? A bottle of champagne. Whenever I won it, was the bottle at home as a souvenir or a memento? No. It was empty before it left the dressing room!" Adams said.
"We should, in this country, ban the advertising linking alcohol with sport, like they do in France".
AFP