Several well-known players have spent time in court - and in some cases prison.

George Best, the former Manchester United winger, who died in 2005, was convicted of drink-driving and assaulting a policeman in 1984. He was jailed for 12 weeks and spent Christmas in London's Pentonville Prison.

Tony Adams, the Portsmouth manager, served two months at Chelmsford Open Prison in 1990 for drink-driving offences while an Arsenal player. After admitting to alcoholism, he founded the Sporting Chance clinic to help sportsmen and women deal with drink, drug and gambling addictions.

Leeds United team-mates, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer, were at the centre of a 2001 trial after a student was attacked in the city. Woodgate, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, was found guilty of affray and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

Both Woodgate and Bowyer were cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and Bowyer, who now plays for West Ham United, was also cleared of affray.

Their first trial at Hull Crown Court collapsed when the Sunday Mirror printed a prejudicial interview with a member of the Asian victim’s family.

Jermaine Pennant, a team-mate of Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, was sentenced to three months in jail for drink-driving in 2005. Then an Arsenal player, he went on loan to Birmingham City after his release where he played while wearing an electronic tag.

However, Pennant was not the first player to enjoy this dubious honour. In January 2000, Gary Croft played for Ipswich Town against Swindon Town wearing a tag after his early release from a four-month sentence for driving while disqualified and perverting the course of justice.

Joey Barton, the Newcastle midfielder, was jailed for six months this year for attacking a man in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of December 27 last year. The 25-year-old was caught on CCTV kicking and punching the man to the ground while drunk.

Peter Storey, the former Arsenal and England midfielder, has three previous convictions. In 1979, two years after leaving Arsenal, he was fined £700 and given a six-month suspended jail sentence for running a brothel in East London. In 1980 he was jailed for three years for financing a plot to counterfeit gold coins and in 1990 he was jailed for 28 days for attempting to import 20 pornographic videos from Europe which he'd hidden in his spare tyre.

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