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Recently, Tottenham Hotspur and England full-back Kyle Walker was surrounded by controversy after pictures of him inhaling nitrous oxide (commonly referred to as ‘hippy crack’) from a black balloon. While inhaling of nitrous oxide is a legal high in England, Walker invited the wrath of the public upon himself because as a footballer, he’s supposed to be setting high standards (no pun intended) for himself and others. Nitrous oxide, if inhaled, can cause many complications and even lead to death.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that football and drugs have come together. There have been other high-profile incidents involving footballers who have been caught taking drugs. Let’s take a look at some instances when drug use reared it’s ugly head in the world of football:
Adrian Mutu
One of the most high-profile cases in the last decade or so. The Romanian international always had a reputation as being a bit of a party boy, and while at Chelsea, he endured a difficult start to life under new manager Jose Mourinho. He defied the Special One’s orders and turned out for his country for a World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic. He eventually tested positive for cocaine. He had his contract cancelled by the club and was fined £20,000. The fallout from that incident is still ongoing, with both the club and Mutu dragging each other to court with regards to the compensation that the player owes Chelsea.
Claudio Caniggia
He was a bit of a cult hero for his clubs as well as his country, with his long locks and amazing style of play. Caniggia was known for his speed, and could run 100m in around 10.5 seconds. However, while at Italian club Roma in the year 1993, he tested positive for cocaine and was subsequently banned for a period of 13 months. It didn’t affect his career too badly as he went on to enjoy decent spells at clubs like Boca Juniors, Dundee and Rangers. However, it did drive home the wild-boy image he projected as a player.
Diego Maradona
El Diego will no doubt go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest player, to have graced the game of football. However, his career was riddled with controversy, and drug abuse was right at the centre of it all. His first ban came in the year 1991 when he was playing for Napoli. He tested positive for narcotics and was handed a 15-month ban. 3 years later he tested positive for ephedrine and other banned substances right in the middle of the 1994 World Cup and was once again banned for 15 months. His addiction to cocaine nearly cost him his life a few years back.
Mark Bosnich
Adrian Mutu wasn’t the first player Chelsea had to deal with when it came to drug problems. Mark Bosnich, the Australian goalkeeper who had two spells at Manchester United and was at Aston Villa for a short time, joined Chelsea on a free in 2001. He had enjoyed a career of highs and lows till that point, but his career at the highest level was all but over when he tested positive for banned substances in September 2002. His contract was cancelled by the club. and he was suspended for 9 months.
