Gamblers' luck
Two professional football players—soccer, if you're in the Land of the Free—have been suspended for breaking their associations' rules on gambling. Another ex-footballer, who's also a compulsive gambler, thinks it's jolly unfair.
Former Arsenal winger Paul Merson says football is "ravaged" with gambling and the bans given to Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali are a "disgrace". Merson says he was a "compulsive gambler" during his playing days and that it is a "hidden addiction" because it is hard for people to spot.
I realise that professional sportsmen, least of all footballers, are rarely endowed with a colossal intellect. But Merson might like to consider that rules are there for a reason, however obscure, and breaking them has consequences. The players were aware of the rules, and they nevertheless knowingly disobeyed them.
The bans aren't just a punishment, they're a warning: pour encourager les autres.