Friday 4 October 2013 22:32, UK
Arsene Wenger has criticised Jack Wilshere after the Arsenal midfielder was pictured in a national newspaper smoking.
There have been many examples of top sportsmen who smoked, such as France international Michel Platini, who is now UEFA president, while Holland legend Johan Cruyff even regularly lit up on the sidelines when he was coach at Barcelona. Wenger, however, accepts in England the culture makes such a position untenable. "Yes of course things are different, in England especially," he said. "You don't need to convince me because I must tell you, I travelled as a football player on coaches after games in France where you didn't see each other, there was so much smoke on the coach. Everybody smoked, but times have changed, and the healthy worry, the example, the role models from the football players request has changed as well. "I must say as well, English society is very sensitive to smoking, much more than France, more than southern (European) countries, so it is a bit more shocking here than it is somewhere else."
