Arsenal’s William Gallas Adds Cigarettes to His Injury Recovery Program

October 24, 2008

Uh-oh, Arsenal captain William Gallas is in trouble. Seems he was pictured leaving a nightclub on Thursday morning with a cigarette in his mouth (no pictures online, yet).

The cigarette was unlit, but I’m not sure that gets him out of trouble. Mostly because there’s only one thing you can do with an unlit cigarette. And that’s to light it.

Here’s what Arsene Wenger had to say:

“I didn’t see the picture. I have been informed, but I don’t like that. I will check that with him. He has a responsibility as captain of Arsenal Football Club. That cannot be accepted. It is a public job with a public responsibility and therefore it is exactly the same for everybody.”

I’m not sure I buy the whole idea about footballers being role models for the public. That’s not really their job. But as Arsenal captain (still not a great choice if you ask me) Gallas is a role model to all those other Arsenal players (some of whom are barely old enough to buy cigarettes themselves).

This is arguably worse than Wayne Rooney smoking on his honeymoon, because at least Rooney did that outside of the football season.

Gallas is supposed to be getting ready to return to action after a thigh injury, and I’m guessing sucking down some tar isn’t the best way to go about that.

On the other hand, plenty of footballers have smoked and done just fine. Trinidad & Tobago international Russel Latapy apparently smokes like a chimney, but he recently scored an international goal against the USA at the grand old age of 40.

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