Poll: Should Football Punish Footballers for Off-Field Crimes?

By: Daryl | December 16th, 2008

The big naughty footballer news from France yesterday was Lyon’s French international Sidney Govou being caught by the gendarmes while driving with five times too much alcohol in his bloodstream. Not good Govou.

Let’s do the numbers first. The French legal limit is 0.5 grammes of alcohol per litre of blood, and Govou breathelizered (we assume) at 2.5 grammes per litre. Way too much Sidney.

Govou enjoyed an overnight incarceration, had his license confiscated and will have to put on his best suit to face a court hearing in the near future.

He’s done the obligatory “shame on me” apology, which was pretty much his only move PR-wise:

“I wish to apologise to my family, who must have been very disappointed, as well as to the club and to the fans, who have always been behind me,” Govou told reporters at the club’s training centre.
“I realise I gave a bad image of the club with this offence and I really want to apologise for that,” he added.

Here’s what I always wonder when things like this happen: Should the club or the national FA take any action against the player?

On one hand, the law will punish Sidney Govou. Not sure how, but there’ll be some sort of verdict from the French courts. So from that perspective we should just let the judge deal with it and keep football and the legal system separate. You could also argue that punishment from the law and punishment from the league means two punishments for one crime.

On the other hand, you could argue that footballers are role models. And they’re role models because if their esteemed place within football. And so if Govou really has brought shame on Lyon and on French football, then maybe the club/league could consider some sort of fine or ban?

I genuinely don’t know which way to swing on this one, which is why on the eighth day the powers that be created polls:

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mele419

Michael: Well if the limit in france is .5g and he had 5x too much he had 2.5g/litres. If the average human has 5.6 litres of blood... 2.5 divided by 5.6 = .45 (45%) BAC.
Unless I did this all wrong...
michael

What does that translate into as BAC?
Charles

If players engage in behavior that could be detrimental to the rest of the team then they should be punished. I don't care about being a role model or anything like that, I just look at it from the team's perspective. Because of his actions, he could end up missing practice or matches and that hurts the team. When you do something that does not hold up to the expectations of a professional footballer then you should be punished.
Jeremy

I kind of go both ways on this one. On one hand, it wasn't in his official capacity as a member of the club. On the other hand, individual actions off the pitch can hurt the overall 'brand' of the league.

Ask the NBA about that, and even the NFL is discovering that.

Ibracadabra, not to get on my soapbox too much, but just a drink kills 25,000 people a year, in the US alone.
Foreverzidane

There goes the one goal production that we had with Les Bleus! LOL
Corey

yeah i dont think they have to be role models if they want. Does Britney Spears want to be a role model? Probably based of here behavior, even though in some media perverted way she is. Its the same for footballers, they have the spot light, but they dont have to use it to be a role model, its not a job requirement.

But then again, just got a $14 million offer for Govou on FM09 from Man City, so I promply sold his ass after reading this as that was double his value. Great!
Sam

Non
Of course they're supposed to be role models, but that's not a rule.
mele419

oui. Monsieur Govou is a role model and he should (as well as other, such as good ole Joey Barton) face sentencing from the FA as well as legal ramifications. They're more than just a member of the public and the community. They must follow laws for their safety and other's safety. When they break them they set bad examples for everyone that looks up to him. So he gets a suspended liscence in court and a slap on the wrist. What does that say to kids? It's okay to drink and drive because Govou did it and got away with it. Wrong. The FA needs to keep it's players in check and let them know it's not okay to break the laws, and to show the kids out there that it's not okay either.
j

It is no debate to me and hopefully he will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.