Red Bull, nicotine... how Vardy prepares for England
ENGLAND star Jamie Vardy was spotted with a cocktail of caffeine and nicotine yesterday as he prepared for tomorrow’s clash with Wales. He was photographed in Chantilly holding a tin of nicotine pouches (snus) and a can of Red Bull — stimulants that are both on the World Anti-Doping Agency monitoring list, but which are not currently banned.
JAMIE VARDY was seen preparing for England’s Battle of Britain clash with Wales at Euro 2016 with a cocktail of nicotine and caffeine. The Footballer of the Year was seen with the surprising mixture of stimulants en route to training in Chantilly yesterday. He was carrying a tin of nicotine pouches in one hand and a can of Red Bull in the other.
While Vardy has not committed a doping offence, both stimulants are listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency monitoring list as something being considered for the banned list if used in competition. Studies have certainly concluded that it could enhance performance.
Interestingly, the product Vardy had in his possession yesterday is illegal to sell in the UK but not to process and can be purchased from overseas websites.
Thunder Snus is a chewing tobacco, with powder that comes in a pouch and goes inside the mouth, sitting underneath the top lip. The Thunder brand is an ultra- strong version with each pouch containing the same amount of nicotine as two cigarettes.
An FA spokesman stressed that Vardy was on the right side of anti- doping regulations and that the England medical staff are aware of the Leicester striker’s habits. Indeed, sources at Leicester believe Vardy has even used the pouches during games.
A spokesman for Vardy said: ‘While Jamie is on England duty, if the FA are happy then we are happy.’
Former UK anti- doping chief Michele Verroken said Vardy’s use of nicotine raised interesting questions if it was being used during performance. ‘The key question here for the anti-doping authorities is establishing if stimulants like nicotine are performance-enhancing,’ she said.
‘It has been on the monitored list since 2012 and would only be an issue when used in competition. It would act as a stimulant by increasing the heart rate. But as things stand it is not a doping offence.’
In the past WADA has said nicotine sanctions are discussed with increasing regularity.
Vardy is thought to be a former smoker who uses the pouches as a means of quitting. This, however, was not something the FA were prepared to confirm yesterday along with whether he does indeed use them in matches.
A study by scientists at the University of Verona in Italy into ‘ the effects of snus administration on sport performance’ said nicotine is widely reported to ‘ increase alertness, improve coordination and enhance cognitive performance’.