World Football News: Ferdinand warns against excessive drinking culture in English football
Rio Ferdinand has become the latest Englishman to speak up against drinking in football in England just a week after Fabio Capello had expressed his views on the excessive drinking that the players indulge in after football games in the
British Isles.
Drinking has become a difficult thing to cater for in English society as the teenagers have developed a drinking culture amongst themselves. Rio spoke about this phenomenon when he said, "In all ways and shapes, you have to accept responsibility.
Nowadays you have a game Saturday, then Tuesday, then Saturday, then Tuesday. There's no room in the game to go out on the lash and get smashed like you used to. That was part of the culture when I was growing up as a kid. The players I looked up to at West
Ham, their social lives were a big part of their lives.”
He added, "Nowadays, you can't afford to do that. You're playing against teams that are physically in tip-top condition. If you're going out there and are not in the same physical condition, you can't do yourself or your team justice.
There are so many different factors that determine whether you become a top player. But going out drinking will definitely be to your detriment and will hold you back from being a top, top player."
Speaking on professional football and players in English football, stated that if this pleasure was made into a habit certainly this will not be beneficial for English football. He further commented, "Your own personal pride and will to
win and be a success should make you sit and think 'I can't do that on a Saturday night if I've got a game on a Tuesday or Wednesday. If you've got a free week, there's no problem going out, enjoying yourself and letting your hair down. You don't have to live
like a monk. But you've got to pick and choose your right times.”
Many English stars have had to face embarrassing moments due to their drinking problems; most recently Andy Carroll was in the media limelight and before him Steven Gerrard was accused of starting a fight in a bar. Rio stressed the fact
that players have to manage themselves correctly as he said, "It's about managing yourself right. As a young player, sometimes you take certain steps and then learn from them. Some people aren't going to be told 'you can't go out'. They want to find out themselves
and will make mistakes along the way. They have to be strong enough to pick themselves up and carry on."
Rio pointed out the example of Michael Owen as he went onto say, "You benefit football-wise. It's not just that you want to become a better professional. You become a better player, in simple terms. Look at someone like Michael Owen. I've
always used him as an example because we came through at the same time, went to the 1998 World Cup, and we had two different outlooks on life.”
The central defender added, “I was a social butterfly. He was a real professional who had a good structure around him and knew exactly what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. Looking back, the Nevilles, people used to laugh at
them, saying they were 'so professional' and this and that. But they were good professionals at a young age. Look at the length of their careers now."
The Manchester United player concluded by saying, "Its society; I went to my old football club (Eltham Town) at the weekend, on Sunday, and the culture is what it is in England. You go and play a game and, afterwards, you go to the bar
and have a few pints. That is what people do. There's a clubhouse there where people sometimes go after work. It's part of the social network. As a footballer, you have to detach yourself from that. It can be hard if you've been brought up like that. It’s
not just football, it's in society. Kids have to make decisions and choices in life.”
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