Pakistan bowler Mohammad Asif has found himself in more hot water on Tuesday morning after being arrested for possession of illegal drugs in Dubai, but he is not alone in courting controversy. In fact, he finds himself in some pretty heavy company. We list some of sports more 'colourful' characters in recent times...

Jesse Ryder:

He may be "New Zealand cricket", but the pudgy Jesse Ryder's fondness of tequila, and booze in general, got the better of him earlier this year. Just a few hours after helping the Black Caps seal an ODI series win over England, Ryder was punching windows and abusing Kiwi hospital staff after sinking one too many at a local pub... His career may not be over, but after already being fingered as a troublemaker by the New Zealand selectors — even before this incident — you would think young Jesse would have know better.

Herschelle Gibbs:

The West Indies is known for many things, but possibly none more so than the availability of marijuana. Possibly thinking it was legal in the Caribbean, Proteas wild-child Herschelle Gibbs, along with four team-mates and the team physiotherapist was caught lighting up in celebration of their 2001 series victory over the Windies. But while his team-mates seemingly learnt their lesson (and a couple, erm, 'drifted' out of the team), Herschelle didn't seem too bothered by the subsequent punishment, and has found himself in trouble more often than we can remember — most recently being thrown in the overnight cell for drunken driving...

Shoaib Akhtar:

Ah, yes, no list would be truly complete without Pakistan's controversy magnet, Shoaib Akhtar. The 'Rawalpindi Express' has never been far from the spotlight; in 2004 he was accused of faking injuries to avoid bowling against South Africa, and in 2005 he was eventually sent home from Australia for avoiding a late-night curfew. His attitude problems and ill-discipline did not exactly endear him to his team-mates, nor the fans, and he was finally banned in 2006, along with Asif, for using performance-enhancing drugs... The ban was overturned, not that it mattered, because Akhtar was recently slapped with a five-year ban for brawling with a team-mate — ironically none other than one Mohammad Asif.

Paul Gascoigne:

The former England striker is a tabloid favourite with a string of drunken episodes splashed across England's front pages. He may have been considered one of the most gifted footballers of his generation, but unfortunately for 'Gazza' he will be best remembered for how easily he threw it all away during his high-profile battle with addiction. The former Newcastle star's life took yet another tragic turn earlier this year when he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in May and then again in June.

Maradonna:

Another favourite of the tabloids, the former Argentine superstar has battled addiction to booze, drugs and pretty much anything else you could get addicted to. Since the 1990's, the World Cup-winner has battled his addictions and between 2002 and 2005 he spent most of his time in Cuban detox clinics. Prone to packing on the pounds, primarily due to his wild lifestyle, Maradonna underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2005, and was later treated for hepatitis and effects of alcohol abuse in 2007. He later appeared on television to claim he had been clean for over two-and-a-half years, but the jury is still out on that one.

Ian Botham:

Sir Ian is hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders to have ever played the game, but he was not shy of putting back a couple of pints and throwing the odd punch either. But perhaps his most public misdemeanour was his admission of smoking grass in the Caribbean — you listening Herschelle? The press fell on Botham like a pack of wild dogs. The ECB reacted with a ban of 63 days for 'Beefy', while the big all-rounder returned to action with a typically robust spell that equalled, and eventually broke, Dennis Lillee's then world-record of Test wickets.

Lawrence Dallaglio:

The former England skipper is currently riding a wave of plaudits, following his retirement on the back of London Wasps' Premiership victory over Leicester at the weekend. The pundits are all hailing his glittering career, which includes a World Cup triumph, but let us not forget big Lol's public persona was not always so grand. In 1999, then England skipper Dallaglio was exposed by the News of the World tabloid as a former drug dealer! The British tabloid alleged that Dallaglio had been a dealer of hard drugs and even boasted about a drug-infused night of partying during the Lions tour of SA in 1997. Dallaglio was slapped with a £15000 fine and was forced into giving up the England captaincy.

Wasim Akram:

Leading the tradition of Pakistan fast bowlers mixing it up with drugs, Wasim Akram was bust, along with team-mates Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed, and two female British tourists for possession of marijuana during the team's stop-over in Grenada in 1993. Team management claimed the players had been set-up and the row reached diplomatic levels before the storm eventually blew over. The first Test in Trinidad was, however, postponed for a day to allow the players to recover from the mental stress.

Rio Ferdinand:

Football is well known for its hard-partying lifestyle. Money, women, sports cars and drugs reportedly play a big part in any footballer's life, which leaves us more than a little surprised that more players are not testing positive. The game has a long list of boozers and drug-users: Adrian Mutu, Tony Adams, Gascoigne, Maradonna... But England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand caused an almighty stink not for actually testing positive, but for missing a drugs test! Ferdinand claimed he forgot about, and his team-mates threatened to strike in his defence, but that didn't stop the FA from banning him for eight months and fining him £50000, which effectively ended his season and saw him miss out on Euro 2004.

Martina Hingis:

The 'Swiss Miss' may not have been liked by her opponents during her early playing days (her comments about them made sure of that), but she was widely considered to have been keeping her nose clean. It was somewhat surprising then that, after coming out of retirement in 2005, Hingis tested positive for using cocaine in 2007. The former world number one vehemently denied the results, but she was suspended and ordered to repay prize money won during the period she was accused of using the drug. Hingis retired soon after...

  • Can you think of any other sportsmen who dabbled in the nefarious? Mail the sports team!


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