THE panic calls by distressed footballers to leading sports psychologist Steve Pope had passed 50 by last night.
And he expects that figure to keep on rising.
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Psychologist Steve Pope believes footballers are struggling with the changes brought about by coronavirus
Blackpool-based Pope believes there will be plenty of his colleagues also being deluged since the blanket ban on games due to the coronavirus crisis.
He fears there are hundreds from the Premier League all the way down England’s pyramid struggling to cope.
And he warns many of England’s stressed-out stars will turn to booze, gambling and drugs as they struggle to deal with life in limbo.
Pope said: “Footballers, and especially the most famous ones, need the fix of playing in front of crowds.
“They need the regime of training and planning for the next game.
“In many ways they are obsessive people, doing the same thing day after day, and life isn’t the same without it.
“I remember working with Paul Gascoigne when he was at Lazio.
“He told me most people couldn’t imagine playing in front of 60,000, then going home to an empty apartment.
“Gazza said turning out on a Saturday was his legal high. But once boredom, anxiety or depression set in then he would get himself into some other kind of thrill.
“Stars thrive on being the centre of attention and love the crisis of facing and beating an opponent, scoring the winner, making a match–saving stop.
“Take hat away from them, take away their daily routine, and they find themselves in a void.
“They are football addicts and without their fix, they will find another one.
“As I well know, it’s difficult enough for clubs to keep some players on the straight and narrow at the best of times.”
Pope’s clients past and present range from Manchester United to Burnley and a top London club, through to Rangers, Blackpool, Preston, Fleetwood Town and Dundee.
His work mainly helps players deal with addiction to drink, drugs and gambling, and anxiety and depression.
He revealed: “Since the football authorities called off the games my phone hasn’t stopped ringing.
“Players — and there are plenty of England’s top women footballers who also call me — don’t know what to do with themselves.
“One upset female player texted to say she and her team-mates had just been left in limbo — no instruction, no guidance, not even plans to train on their own.
“Premier League players have so much money, on the face of it they should have no concerns. But they desperately miss the celebrity aspect of performing and turn to other things, usually bad for them or destructive.
“One player phoned the other day to say, ‘I got wrecked and ended up sleeping with my wife’s sister’.
“Many players are mentally lazy. They are told when to train, what to eat, where to turn up, how to play.
“The ones I have spoken to are suffering from stress and anxiety, moving already towards depression.
“Some are devastated by not knowing when they’ll be able to not only play again, but train with their mates.
“Those from lower league clubs are desperately worried about their future.
“They are like, ‘I’m in the last season of my contract, I’m 33, I was playing for a new one. Now if the season doesn’t finish, how can I prove myself? How do I earn money?
“Even at lower level, they live in a bubble and I know for certain some will have suicidal thoughts.
“I’ve had well over 30 calls from players in England, four so far from Northern Ireland, over a dozen more from players I work or have worked with on the continent.
“Plenty who I helped stop gambling are back on it in a big way. Clubs need to do anything they can to get them back in their comfort zone.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
