Coming, as it does, from a nation which spends almost £50 billion a year on gambling (an incredible £800 per year per head of population). The criticism directed at England footballer Wayne Rooney following revelations about his alleged gambling debt of £700,000 seems odd in the extreme and somewhat over the top. I could use clichés here involving pots and kettles, but you know what I mean.
What is least surprising in this ‘exclusive’ story is the discovery that Rooney and several other international players have been involved in gambling syndicates. The dogs in the street know that footballers have always liked the odd punt.
The trend and the expenditure merely increased since the incarnation of the Premiership and the vast sums of money pumped into the game by, among others, broadcasters and sponsors. This money, as it should do, was and continues to be paid to those who provide the attraction. The footballing geniuses like Rooney and his ilk.
However, it is all too easy for footballers with plenty of leisure time on their hands to be drawn by the lure of gambling. There are only so many hours of daylight in which to play golf. A couple of grand at a time on the horses or in a card school are sums which represent only a portion of their annual income. They might ask themselves ‘What else are we to do with the money’?
Without the proper guidance, the perils are evident. A tarnished career, a debt which the player may struggle to or cannot pay back and damaged relationships all round. Although the ultimate decision to gamble with the players, their agents, managers and families need to play their part in keeping the player’s feet on the ground. At the moment the media and the football clubs, unfortunately, appear to be more concerned with column inches and balance sheets than a player’s welfare.
There have been numerous victims among the ranks of professional footballers who have succumbed to the gambling addiction down through the years. Most recently Keith Gillespie and Tony Adams and who could forget the sobbing Paul Merson confessing all about his off-field problems.
It is to be hoped that someone as gifted as Wayne Rooney evidently is doesn’t spoil what could otherwise be a glittering career by becoming yet another statistic on the long list of wasted talent spawned by the ‘beautiful game’.
About the team
This story was produced and edited by John Monaghan. It was published by Reach for the Sky website.
