France keeper Lloris to face court over drink-driving charge
France's World Cup-winning captain Hugo Lloris is due to appear in court in London on Wednesday over a drink-driving charge after a roadside breathalyser test reportedly caught him two times over the limit.
(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 28, 2017 Tottenham Hotspur’s French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris reacts after losing the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on November 28, 2017. France’s World Cup winning captain Hugo Lloris has been charged with drink-driving after the Tottenham keeper was stopped by police in the early hours of August 24, 2018. Lloris was pulled over by police in a routine stop at 0120 GMT in Gloucester Place, central London. The 31-year-old was reported to have failed a roadside breathalyser test and has been released on bail to appear at Westminster magistrates’ court next month. / AFP PHOTO / Oli SCARFF /
The Tottenham goalkeeper has already apologised for what he called his “unacceptable” behaviour.
Just weeks after playing a key role in France’s World Cup glory, Lloris was pulled over in a routine stop on August 24 at 2:20 am in Gloucester Place, central London.
The 31-year-old, driving a Porsche, was reported by the Daily Mail to allegedly have registered 80 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath during the roadside test, more than double the legal limit of 35mg. “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.
“Drink-driving is completely unacceptable, I take full responsibility for my actions and it is not the example I wish to set.”
After spending seven hours in a cell, Lloris, a married father of two, returned home on foot.
The maximum punishment for drink-driving in Britain is a six-month jail term, although fines and temporary driving bans are more common.
Lloris missed France’s opening games in the inaugural UEFA Nations League due to a thigh injury, coach Didier Deschamps has said.
The coach gave Lloris his full backing, saying: “I’ve spoken with him, he realises his mistake and he’s sorry for it.
“He knows only too well that it shouldn’t happen, but it happened and it’s not going to change what I think about him and the Hugo Lloris that I’ve always known.”
He was also given the backing of Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino before their 3-0 win at Manchester United last month.
France won their second World Cup with a 4-2 final victory over Croatia, although Lloris was guilty of a bad mistake that allowed Mario Mandzukic to score.
He had kept clean sheets in France’s semi-final win over Belgium and their quarter-final success against Uruguay.
Lloris signed a new £150,000 ($193,000)-per-week deal at Tottenham during the summer as he was rewarded for another fine season.
“The club takes matters such as this extremely seriously and it will be dealt with internally,” a Tottenham spokesman said, referring to the drink-drive charge.
Lloris has been with Tottenham since joining from Lyon in 2012, making 256 appearances for the north London club.
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