‘Not an example I wish to set’

Place, following a routine patrol stop by Met police.

Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny were also at the dinner in the Bagatelle restaurant in Mayfair, a mile-and-ahalf across London from where Lloris was halted.

Lloris’ decision to drive home may cost him his Tottenham armband when he meets with club officials at training today ahead of the trip to Manchester United on Monday.

“I wish to apologise wholeheartedly to my family, the club, my team-mates, the manager and all of the supporters,” Lloris said in a statement through the club.

“Drink-driving is completely unacceptable – I take full responsibility for my actions and it is not the example I wish to set.”

His club manager Mauricio Pochettino has historically always kept himself apart from the club’s disciplinary process, although his input will be crucial.

The Argentinian is expected to select Lloris for the difficult trip to Old Trafford but, with the teetotal Harry Kane an obvious replacement as captain, he could decide it is appropriate to relieve the goalkeeper of the armband after the club issued a sternly worded statement of their own. That would almost certainly be in addition to a standard fine of two weeks’ wages of about £240,000 for the Frenchman.

“The club takes matters such as this extremely seriously and it will be dealt with internally,” a spokesman said.

The incident could not have come at a worse time for the club as it fights off criticism of its handling of delays to the opening of their new stadium.