On this day in 1990, Arsenal captain Tony Adams faced legal repercussions following a car crash incident. Adams was found to be more than four times over the legal alcohol limit for driving and appeared in the dock at Southend Crown Court. He received a sentence of four months in prison. However, Adams was released on 15th February 1991 after serving half of his sentence. Remarkably, the very next day, he played for the Arsenal reserve side against Reading reserves. The match drew an unusually large crowd of around 7,000 spectators, a significant increase from the typical hundreds, as fans gathered to welcome back the Arsenal favourite. In subsequent years, Adams’ struggles with alcohol were well-documented, including in his autobiography “Addicted,” where he revealed that he often played matches while dealing with hangovers.
19th December 2003
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On 19th December 2003, Rio Ferdinand faced disciplinary action for missing a scheduled drugs test in September of that year. The test was to be conducted at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground, but Ferdinand failed to attend, having forgotten about it and opting to go shopping instead. As a result, he was handed a fine of £50,000 and an eight-month ban from football, affecting both his club and international career.
19th December 2004
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The Manchester City Christmas Party on 19th December 2004 became infamous due to an incident involving Joey Barton. Known for his controversial behaviour, Barton was involved in an altercation with reserve-team player James Tandy. The situation escalated when Tandy set fire to Barton’s shirt, prompting Barton to retaliate by stubbing a lit cigar into Tandy’s eye. The incident resulted in Barton receiving a £60,000 fine from the club and being ordered to pay £65,000 in damages to Tandy.