Around one in five male and female professional football players are using snus or nicotine pouches, according to a new survey.
The poll commissioned by the Professional Footballers’ Association found that 18 per cent of male players at Premier League or English Football League clubs had used nicotine pouches or snus at least once. Meanwhile, 22 per cent of Women’s Super League players had used them.
The report suggests the true usage figures are likely to be even higher due to players not wanting to disclose their use, even in an anonymous survey.
High-profile players such as Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy have previously spoken openly about using the nicotine products.
Why do footballers use pouches and snus?
Explaining his usage of snus in his autobiography, Vardy said it helped him to relax. He wrote: “When I joined Leicester I started using snus, which are nicotine patches that you place against your gums, for 10 minutes or so.
“I used to have the odd cigarette on a night out at Fleetwood, but one of the lads introduced me to snus when I signed for Leicester and I found they helped me chill out. A lot more footballers use them than people realise and some lads even play with them during matches.”
Vardy was pictured carrying snus at Euro 2016, although he later said he had stopped using the product following negative media coverage.
Relaxation was a key reason stated by players in the new survey for using nicotine pouches or snus (41 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women).
Improved mental readiness was also a main perceived benefit (given by 29 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women).
One of the 16 professional club performance and medical staff members interviewed said players used it as a “coping mechanism”. The pouches are also used as an appetite suppressant, the report found.
The survey, carried out by Loughborough University, found users often started using the nicotine products in an effort to fit in with other, often more senior, teammates.
One club staff member said a player had told them: “It’s just everywhere I look. Every other player’s taking it, (I) go to fill my car up and it’s at the pump stands. It’s just too easy.”
What are snus and nicotine pouches?
Snus is an oral tobacco product made up of ground tobacco and sometimes added flavouring. The moist tobacco pouches look similar to a small tea bag and are placed between the upper lip and the gums where they release nicotine into the bloodstream.
Snus is not currently prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a performance-enhancing substance.
The product is not legally available to buy in the UK, whereas the tobacco-free nicotine pouches – which were found to be more commonly used among players – are legal to buy.
