Alcohol in association football

In England, football had a drinking culture, which declined from the late 1990s due to foreign managers such as Arsène Wenger and an increased focus on health and fitness.

[14] In 2020, Peter Whittingham died in a drunken play-fight in a pub in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, as he lost his balance, walked through a fire door and fell down eight steps and hit his head.

[16] Footballers convicted of violent crime after drinking alcohol include Lee Bowyer,[17] Chris Bettney,[18] Kevin Hird,[19] Marlon King,[20] Adam Hammill,[21] Josh Payne,[22] Anthony Stokes,[23][24] James Tomkins,[25] Shaun Newton,[26] Paul Conlon (manslaughter)[27] and Marcus Maddison.

In July 2020, two men, Kai Denovan and Cameron Matthews, were jailed for manslaughter for their part in the "violent, drunken attack" that killed Sinnott.

[30] Footballers convicted of drink driving include Bobby Moore,[31] Yaya Touré,[32] Wayne Rooney,[33] Craig Bellamy,[34] Charlie Adam,[35] Hugo Lloris,[36] Jesse Lingard,[37] Roberto Firmino,[38] Danny Drinkwater,[39] Trevor Sinclair,[40] Joelinton,[41] Mikel John Obi,[42] Danny Graham[43] Peter Shilton,[44] Tomáš Řepka,[45] Ray Wilkins,[46] Jermaine Pennant,[47] Paul Merson[48] Oli McBurnie,[49] David Bentley,[50] Barry Bannan,[51] Fabian Delph,[52] Nile Ranger,[53] Chris Eagles,[54] Jean-Philippe Gbamin,[55] James Beattie,[56] Alexandro Bernabei,[57] Stephen Hughes,[58] Callum McGregor,[59] Michael O’Neill,[60]Leighton James,[61] Alex Bone,[62] Manuel da Costa,[63] Shane Duffy,[64] James Hurst[65] and Courtney Meppen-Walter.

[68] In 2008, goalkeeper Luke McCormick was jailed for seven years and four months after admitting killing two young brothers on the M6 motorway while driving dangerously at twice the legal alcohol limit.

[73] Notable footballers who abstain from alcohol include Cristiano Ronaldo,[74] Gareth Bale,[75] Jermain Defoe,[76] Harry Kane[77] and Lou Macari.

Lundekvam got help to overcome his addiction and issues at Sporting Chance Clinic, a recovery facility for athletes set up by former Arsenal captain Tony Adams.

[84] In 1985, the consumption of alcohol in the stands of English football grounds and stadium areas with views of the pitch was banned in order to curb hooliganism.

In 2021, former sports minister Tracey Crouch considered changes to this rule, believing that it encouraged fans to drink quickly at half time.

At his prosecution, the court were told the fan had drunk a number of cans of lager and 0.75 litres (0.16 imp gal) of vodka before arriving in Sheffield followed by a further 7–10 pints of cider.

There exists a loophole by which the branding of alcohol companies is permitted if it is explicitly promoting a low-alcohol beer with an ABV of under 1.2%; Carlsberg was able to sponsor UEFA Euro 2016 in France for this reason.

[106] In June 2019, North America's Major League Soccer allowed jersey and stadium sponsorship by liquor and gambling companies.

A bill in Costa Rica then passed its first reading, prescribing a 6% tax on alcohol sponsorships, and ensuring that 20% of advertising fees would be spent on building and maintaining sports facilities.