Austin MacPhee’s wife must think he and I are having an affair because he spends so much time talking with me about my gambling addiction
Lafferty so grateful for Jambos backing as he bids to tackle problem head on
THE long line of footballers admitting to a gambling addiction has Kyle Lafferty as the latest addition.
But few have laid themselves so bare about their path towards self-destruction as the honest Hearts striker.
Big wages, boredom and a downward spiral of raising the stakes and chasing losses sounded like an all-too-familiar story as he spoke of confronting his demons.
The Northern Ireland international insists the roots of his illness were sown after his £3million move from Burnley to Rangers in 2008 and the addiction has since spiralled out of control.
It’s a first step towards recovery for the 30-year-old who knows the magnitude of making public the issues which have haunted his career in the last nine years.
He said: “I know I’m going to take all sorts of grief off fans of other clubs. It’s a big thing to do what I’m doing but I know Hearts fans and my team-mates will be behind me.
“I’m not talking about this because I’m looking for sympathy. I’m ready to say I have an addiction to gambling.
“I could have got help in private and nobody would have known about it. I want to do it publicly as I want to be honest. And if there are any other players addicted to gambling, maybe me speaking about my battle might help them.”
Lafferty charts the gradual rise in his gambling from his time at Ibrox to arriving this summer at Tynecastle in a soul-searching interview with BBC Scotland.
It’s a no-holds-barred account of life at a big club, too much time on his hands and making random mug bets at the bookies with no regard for the money he was losing. He said: “About halfway through my contract with Rangers I didn’t have anything better to do after training than go to the bookies or sit online.
“Betting on football had been banned and, if anything, things got worse. I’d bet on horses instead.
“I knew absolutely nothing about horses, I still don’t have a clue. I open the app on my phone and go by the colour of the jersey or the name. If it’s a winner, it’s a winner. If it’s not, it’s not, and I move on to the next one.
“It was every day on the horses and every single race. I was betting on anything: horses, dogs, virtual racing, roulette.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of team-mates who have looked out for me and tried to help me. To this day they’re still trying to help me. I might listen to them for two or three hours.
“There’s been times when I’ve lost big. I don’t want to go into figures but I’ve lost on the roulette and then I’d be so close to getting it all back. I might be a grand or two from getting it back and I’d keep on going.
“I’d be up two or three grand and I’d end up losing the lot. It didn’t affect me at all because I knew I
was about to get a move and there would be a signing-on fee or a bonus coming that would make up for the money I lost.
“The thing is, I’m one of these people who could wake up in the morning and feel absolutely shattered then I can flick a button and I’m hyper.
“I’m the clown and I’m doing the jokes. I’m taking my anger out on the training pitch. Football was my escape.”
Lafferty was fined £23,000 by the English FA last summer after breaking betting rules during his time at Norwich. It was the first indication of a gambling habit which he feared had ended his hopes of playing for his country at Euro 2016.
The Irishman insists it was the start of confronting the truth with an honesty which was commended by the football authorities as he set about reaching out for help and getting on a road to recovery which has taken him to Gorgie. He said: “The punishment could have been a lot worse. I was so honest they probably went easy on me.
“It was leading up to the Euros and I had all sorts going through my head, thinking I was going to be banned.
“I’d have had no-one to blame but myself had that happened.
“The FA helped me. I spoke to the Sporting Chance Clinic and was seeing a guy every other week for an meeting about my gambling.
“That was the cowardly way of doing it. You can speak to a guy and fill him full of c**p.
“You can just show face and give the impression you’re looking for help and then halfan-hour later you’re in a bookies on the way home.”
Hearts issued a statement of support for Lafferty yesterday and he believes Tynecastle can aid his recovery after getting the backing of owner Ann Budge, boss Craig Levein and coach Austin MacPhee. Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has also been a big help.
He said: “I feel lucky to be at Hearts with so many supportive people around me.
“Austin, Craig, Ann – what they’ve done for me makes me feel stronger this time.
“This is the last thing Hearts wanted: another problem. I spoke to Austin after training a while ago. I told him how it has been, how much I’ve lost.
“I had to speak to somebody and knew I could trust him. His wife must have thought we were having an affair he spoke to me that much. Hearts have been incredible.
“Michael O’Neill has also been brilliant. It’s funny, I used to hate playing at Tynecastle when I was at Rangers. The fans were on top of you and there was so many of them.
“I’m glad we’re on the same side now. I want to show them that I’m not here to take the p**s, I’m here to sort my career and my life out. If I don’t go to meetings I know Austin will be on the phone and Craig will probably slap me across the head. I have to sort this out.”
I feel lucky to be at Hearts with so many supportive people around me KYLE LAFFERTY