"It's a funny story, you'll like this" - Tennis star Nick Kyrgios reveals which Premier League club he supports
Tennis luminary Nick Kyrgios has revealed that his favourite Premier League club is Tottenham Hotspur. He also shared the reason behind his support for the North London team.
The 28-year-old Australian has been spotted on multiple occasions sporting the classic white uniform of Spurs while on his global tours.
Kyrgios's loyalty to the Premier League side seems to have intensified with the club's recent decision to hire fellow Australian Ange Postecoglou. But what originally ignited the tennis pro's love for Tottenham?
In an interview with Men's Health magazine, Kyrgios disclosed how his gaming hobby and a certain football maverick nudged him towards supporting the London club (via Daily Mail):
"It's a funny story, you'll like this. I play computer games a lot and I used to like Emmanuel Adebayor on FIFA. At the time, he played for Spurs, so I supported them and have never changed."
The star striker called it quits at his Togolese club AC Semmasi only a few months ago, following an illustrious football career that spanned 22 years. At just 15 years old, Adebayor was recruited by French team FC Metz. He then went on to grace massive European clubs including Monaco, Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Adebayor announced his retirement on Instagram after a remarkable run of 207 goals in 593 appearances. Notably, he scored 97 of these goals while playing in the Premier League.
UK Government urged to intervene following Premier League clubs' sponsorship deals with betting firms
Three Premier League teams - Burnley, Fulham, and Aston Villa - have rolled out fresh shirt sponsorship contracts with betting corporations. This has incited a wave of criticism from an advocacy group demanding governmental interference.
Burnley and Fulham have brokered a one-year deal with W88 and SBOTOP, respectively, while Aston Villa has secured a three-year partnership with BK8. This comes despite an agreement in April by Premier League clubs to eradicate gambling sponsorships from the front of match-day shirts by 2026.
These new alliances have been deemed "short-sighted" by Big Step, an organization campaigning for cessation of gambling advertising and sponsorships in football. They stated (via BBC):
"Football can't be trusted on gambling and the government must now step in to end these deals. Clubs talk about mental health while desperately accepting cheques from online casinos to promote gambling - forcing their own young players and fans to be walking billboards for products that cause addiction and suicide."
Responding to these criticisms, the League told BBC Sport that:
"All gambling partners of clubs are already regulated and licensed by the Gambling Commission and are bound by the rules of the Advertising Standards Authority."