Former Arsenal defender and recovering alcoholic Tony Adams has
given a brutal and damning assessment of the extent of gambling
in football.
The former England international reckons the problem is so rife
some players might even resort to stealing money from their
children's savings to recoup losses.
Adams told the Evening Standard: "I was watching one Premiership
game not long ago and a player went off. It was said he was
injured but he didn't look injured. I suspect he'd had a bad day
at the races.
"And there are so many opportunities now for gambling. They can
do it not just at a casino or at a race track, but also through
the internet in the hotel the night before a game. It can be
just as dangerous as any other addiction.
"They lose their self-respect and before they know where they
are, they are nicking money out of their kids' savings to have a
bet. It is something about which the clubs need to be aware. It
is difficult to trace - but it can cause a lot of damage to the
individual."
Adams’s comments come in the wake of Chelsea striker’s Eidur
Gudjohnsen’s admission that he had lost £400,000 gambling in a
casino.
Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy also admitted that
playing cards for money was a regular pastime on the team’s
travels, although Old Trafford authorities stressed that only
token amounts were involved.
Former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino also claimed
England players ran card schools during the World Cup and that
one player had lost £30,000. |
