Club bans FIFA '14 after team's slump in form

Bans in football clubs are not new. There have always been things that have not amused football managers and club management. Right from Paolo Di Canio outlawing mayonnaise and ketchup to various managers telling managers to abstain from sex and alcohol the night before a match.

But in what should be a first, English League One side Leyton Orient have outlawed the FIFA ’14 game that is seemingly messing with the players’ performances on the pitch.

Leyton Orient’s communications manager Jonny Davies, speaking to the Independent about the club’s new bus, had this to say:

“The coach boasts a fold-out massage table, a coffee machine and Sky TV, but the most exciting thing for the players was a PlayStation 3. For the majority of the trip the lads, led by Lloyd James, got stuck into the new Fifa 14 game and at times even played as themselves against Oldham in preparation for the match the following day. The staff were quick to implement a “no Fifa on a matchday” rule, however. The gaffer suspects several hours playing football on a video game is not conducive to a good performance in the real thing.”

Leyton are undefeated so far this season after the first eight matches of the season, but since the release of the latest installment of the game, have been held to two 1-1 draws prompting a crackdown on the game by club officials.

Guess football games are not intended for real-life footballers!