Lloris gets 20-month driving ban

FRANCE’S World Cup-winning captain Hugo Lloris has been banned from driving for 20 months and fined after pleading guilty to a charge of drink driving, British media reported yesterday.

The 31-year-old Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper admitted being more than twice above the drink-drive limit of 35 micrograms when he was stopped by police in central London last month.

Lloris, who won the World Cup with France in July, was fined 50,000 pounds (US$65,130) at Westminster Magistrates’ court.

Prosecutor Henry Fitch said police found Lloris in an unmarked car driving at 15mph in a 30mph zone.

The court heard that Lloris veered his car “towards parked vehicles” before correcting himself and went through a red light.

David Sonn, defending, said the “spectacular fall from grace” was not lost on Lloris.

“On July 15 he was arguably the proudest man on the planet (having captained France to a World Cup triumph),” Sonn was quoted as saying by the BBC.

“Just 40 days later, he was arrested. He experienced the indignity of being handcuffed and put in a police station overnight.”

Magistrate Amanda Barron, who could have jailed the star for six months, said it was “pure luck” that Lloris did not cause damage to other vehicles or pedestrians.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for British road safety charity Brake, said it was disappointing to see a role model such as Lloris admitting to breaking the law by drink driving.

“We expect the captain of Tottenham Hotspur and his national team to be setting a good example, not flouting the law in such a manner,” Harris said in a statement.

“This kind of dangerous behavior is selfish, illegal and puts lives at risk.”

Lloris, who joined Spurs from Olympique Lyonnais in 2012, apologized for the incident after he was charged by the Metropolitan Police last month.

“I wish to apologize wholeheartedly to my family, the club, my teammates, the manager and all of the supporters,” Lloris said in his statement. “Drink-driving is completely unacceptable, I take full responsibility for my actions and it is not the example I wish to set.”