6 most infamous scandals in football

Football players getting caught with their fingers in the proverbial pie is an age-old tale. The pie has stood for many things over the years – George Best was a famous drunk back when profuse drinking wasn’t really frowned upon in football. Diego Maradona and Adrian Mutu will always be remembered for their infamous cocaine addictions and the countless tales about match fixing are just some of the controversies that have dogged our beloved sport.

And let’s not forget the numerous occasions footballers have failed to clear drug tests. Add a few corruption charges and cases of racism and you pretty much have the entire gamut of football controversies.

But what really captivates the imagination is the outrageous number of love life related scandals players have been involved in. You’d think they’s be smart enough to behave themselves considering how much their lives are played out in the public eye, but clearly they’re not.

While instances of such behaviour seem rampant among players, here’s a quick rundown of the 5 most infamous such scandals in football:

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#6 A costly affair

Chelsea fans may love and respect John Terry, but the former England captain is a controversial figure who divides opinion, especially since he was charged by the FA in 2012 for using racist language against Anton Ferdinand. But things had already taken a turn for the worst so far as his public image was concerned back in 2010.

Rumours surfaced that Mr Chelsea had been having an affair with one Vanessa Perroncel. Turns out Ms Perroncel was the girlfriend of Terry's then Chelsea and England teammate Wayne Bridge.

In addition to rumours of the affair, it was also alleged he paid her to have an abortion after she had become pregnant. Even though Bridge’s girlfriend claimed all the rumours were false, they had far-reaching effects on Terry’s career as he was stripped of his England captaincy ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Bridge dropped out of the national squad claiming he could never play alongside his former teammate. In a horribly embarrassing moment, Bridge also refused to shake hands with Terry ahead of kickoff during a fixture between Chelsea and Manchester City.

#5 Keeping it in the family

A headline run by ’News of the World’ after news of Giggs’s affair broke

Ryan Giggs had always seemed like an upstanding and loyal man considering his years of service at Manchester United. That image of him, however, was blown to smithereens when news of his affairs surfaced in 2011. Yes, you read that right, affair, not one but three of them.

The first one was with Imogen Thomas, a reality TV star. Apparently, Giggs even had an injunction imposed so that the news couldn’t get out but an MP used his parliamentary privilege to have the information disclosed.

If news of his seven-month long affair wasn’t enough, his sister-in-law, Natasha Giggs, his brother’s wife came out saying they had been sleeping behind his brother Rhodri’s back for eight years. Yet another woman came out claiming a two-year affair with the Welsh international. News of Giggs’s infidelity ruined his relation with his family. Even though his wife Stacey stood by him, Giggs wasn’t invited to his own father’s wedding.

#4 He likes them old

Wayne Rooney cheated on his pregnant wife Coleen Rooney

England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney started off young. In fact, he was just 18 and still an Everton player when he was caught paying regular visits to a massage parlour in Liverpool. However, it wasn’t just his trips to the parlour that made him infamous. His favourite companions there was a 48-year-old grandmother in a catsuit and a mother of six who dressed up as a cowgirl. It was also revealed that he paid £45 for his visits.

If that wasn’t all, rumours suggest that he spent quite a bit of time signing autographs for other people there while he waited for his turn. These allegations came as a huge blow to his fiancee Colleen who stood by him only to face more rumours in 2010 that he slept with yet another prostitute paying up to £1000 pounds a night. Rachel Wood, the woman in question, earned herself a spot on Celebrity Big Brother thanks to that bit of business.

#3 Four’s company

Ronaldo Lima picked up three transvestites in Brazil thinking they were women

Brazilian forward Ronaldo was a hero on the pitch but his image off it left much to be desired. The three-time FIFA Player of the Year got himself into quite a pickle when he was caught with three prostitutes in his hotel in Rio de Janeiro in 2008. However, it turns out that these three women weren’t women at all but men. When Ronaldo realised his grave mistake, he tried to cover it up by offering to pay the transvestites £300 each but it didn’t work.

Instead, one of them demanded £15,000 to keep quiet and not go to the media with the story. However, as these things go, the story finally did come out. They also claimed the former AC Milan player had asked them to buy drugs for him but recanted that part of their story once it was proven to be a lie.

The scandal created a huge backlash on his personal life as his fiancee Maria Beatriz Anthony ended their engagement although they reunited later.

#2 Barely legal

Ribery and Benzema were under investigation for sleeping with a minor

In 2010, Karim Benzema, Sidney Govou and Franck Ribery found themselves accused of a very serious crime. The three French internationals were suspected of having slept with an underage prostitute. The girl Zahia Deher was reportedly just 16 at the time and Ribery once even paid for her to be flown to Germany. All three denied knowing her real age and claimed they thought she was over 18.

Even though Sidney Govou was not formally charged, Ribery and Benzema were. However, the public prosecutors failed to find any definite proof the two had any sexual contact with her and dropped the case. Zahia herself publicly said that the trio had been nothing but respectful towards her.

#1 Paedophile alert

Adam Johnson (right) was sentenced to a six-year prison term for sexually assaulting a minor

Former Sunderland player Adam Johnson was not only accused of engaging in sexual activity with a minor but convicted of it earlier this year. One of the biggest controversies to rock the world of football this year, the former England international was handed a prison sentence of six years for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old.

After feigning innocence in the initial stages of the investigation, the former Middlesbrough winger caved in and pled guilty.

The football player had exchanged messages with the girl in early 2015 over social media and agreed to meet her to sign shirts. The signing turned into something much more sinister when he attempted to kiss her and forced himself on her further. The court determined that he had intentionally entrapped the girl in a “single-minded pursuit of his own sexual gratification”.