BY TIM PARSONS
Video footage has today emerged of Raheem Sterling sucking from a balloon containing nitrous oxide.
The video which was taken at a holiday yacht party in Ibiza, is a blow to his image, and calls for serious rebuke
Only last April, the Liverpool striker, apparently worth in excess of £50m, was videoed passing out after allegedly inhaling the legal high, which is a new craze among teens in Liverpool
The controversy prompted manager Brendan Rodgers to remind Sterling of his professional responsibilities.
Rodgers said at the time: “For me, if you are a professional sports person at the top of the game, it is not something that you should be doing,”
Sterling at the time was also photographed smoking a shisha pipe with his team-mate Jordon Ibe.
Nitrous oxide – or laughing gas is sold to punters who inhale the gas using party balloons to get high, but is extremely dangerous despite being legal to possess. It has reportedly accounted for the deaths of nearly 20 people in the last 10 years, and this number may actually me more. The high which disorientates the mind beyond belief, can be purchased for as little as 50p-a-hit.
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In 2013, England’s right back, Kyle Walker issued an unreserved apology after being pictured inhaling the gas on a night out in Sheffield. He indicated he was not aware of the health risks associated with the practise, signalling that his ignorance of those risks affected his judgement. Last year, West Bromwich striker, Saido Berahino, was also caught inhaling the gas in his car as he prepared for a drive to London from Birmingham. Sterling will have been aware of these incidences and should not have been foolish enough to fall prey to the temptation that has gripped teenagers in Liverpool. He is suppose to be role model, instead he is acting like a childish follower of immature kids. In 2013, 17 year old talented art student, Joseph Bennett, suffered a cardiac arrest. He fell into a coma and died. Raheem sterling should be campaigning against substances like legal highs and laughing gas, not encouraging its usage. The footballer is a bad role model for children- every responsible parent should warn their child not to look up to his foolish and short sighted behaviour.
Sterling, whose handlers turned down a £25m and £5 worth of add ons last week, and an extra offer of £10m in a renewed bid by Manchester also fell on deaf ears. He has attracted a number of clubs who have been scrambling to snap up the talented midfielder. However, on account of this repeated misdemeanour, he cannot be trusted to be disciplined enough to achieve his potential in the sport that has transformed his life since he joined professional football from a youth academy a few years ago. Manager of Liverpool, Brendan Rogers, last year told reporters that Sterling’s behaviour is not something a person at the top professional level of football should be doing, yet the Liverpool ace is back at it only a year later.
Footballers who indulge is such reprehensible behaviour should be fined and disciplined- they are a disgrace to the sport! Considering the crazy amounts of cash they earn, many of them don’t match up in performance to their pay. Sterling may be a good player, but he is no way in the league of those players that dazzle the mind and excite fans beyond imagination. He is on his way there, but stupid behaviour like this makes one wonder if he is really worth all the fuss. Sterling played in last weeks Euro qualifier against Sloavania and last night’s game against Columbia and failed to score a single goal. Who knows if the naughty substances he indulges in affects his performance?
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Raheem Sterling joined Liverpool from the youth academy of Queens Park Rangers for a fee £600,000. His stock has risen tremendously since then, but it might be necessary to put a cap on his worth at the rate he is going.
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