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Chopra Wishes He'd Faced Problems Sooner
Chopra Wishes He'd Faced Problems Sooner
Friday, 28th Oct 2011 14:01 by TWTD.co.uk

Striker Michael Chopra says he wishes he’d put his gambling problems behind him earlier in his career, believing he’ll be an improved player after seeking the help of the Sporting Chance Clinic in recent weeks.

The striker, who once lost £15,000 in a matter of hours betting on horse racing, says he’s pleased to have finally made moves to overcome his addiction: “It’s a huge relief to get all this out in the open. I know I'll be a better player for facing up to my problems — I just wish I'd done this five years ago.”

He says things got worse during his final season at Cardiff prior to this summer’s £1 million move to the Blues: “It was all types of gambling. The bookmakers shut at nine or 10 o'clock but then you’ve got the Internet that's available to you all night. You can do it on your phone too.

“I got to a stage where I'd be waking up during the night betting on football matches in Brazil and Argentina — it was no good for me. I'd get little sleep and then come to training the next day not in the right frame of mind.”

The former England U21 international, who spent the time after training gambling when other players might be playing golf, says the problem wasn’t just affecting his career, but also his finances: “I was starting to lose money that I couldn’t really afford. It was just getting on top of me.”

He says he knew the time had come to seek help: “The last time I had a bet was on the day of the Brighton game. I had an accumulator involving a couple of Premier League teams and looking back now I realise I shouldn’t have been doing that.

“I just knew at this point in my life and my career that I’d got to the point where I couldn’t really go on any more with what I was doing.

“I knew it would start affecting my football because it had done when I was at Cardiff. I knew it was down to me to do something about it.”

The Newcastle-born frontman says his family have already noticed a change: “I just want to be honest with everybody now. Gamblers are the best liars around and I’ve realised that. I use my mum and dad as an example.

“I'd lie to them about where I was and things like that. My mum and dad have said to me this week that this is the first time in a long time that they’ve been able to have a proper conversation with me.”

As he prepares to return to the Town starting line-up at Millwall, the 27-year-old says he’s aware of what to expect from the terraces: “If people want to take the mickey out of me I’m not bothered. I’ll be a stronger person for coming out and talking about this. It's a massive release and I just can’t wait to let my football do the talking.”

Photo: Action Images

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images



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