" I left Cardiff City to pay off My Gambling Debts "

Funny when Carl and I put things out about Chops, we got ridiculed and called liars and making up shit, but those same posters never come back and say they were wrong Hmm


Michael Chopra: I left Cardiff City to pay off my gambling debts
28 Nov 2013
The former Blueburds striker said the main reason he went to Sunderland was to pay off his debts with the signing on fee


Michael Chopra


Former Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra has lifted the lid on his gambling addiction and revealed how players at one of his clubs would bet sums of £30,000 on the team bus.

Giving evidence at Newcastle Crown Court, Chopra went into detail about the level of debt he got into and how he and his family were threatened by loan sharks.

He explained that just a year after making his debut for Newcastle at 17, he already knew he had a problem and had racked up debts of tens of thousands of pounds.

He told jurors that at the time, the big name players at the club included Alan Shearer, Kieron Dyer, Titus Bramble and Craig Bellamy.

"I started gambling when I was about 17, when I first played for Newcastle I was travelling with the first team," he said.

"Players would gamble on the bus and I got involved. We would take thousands of pounds onto the bus, anything up to £30,000.

"It might change hands playing cards on the bus, we would go to the bank before and take out the money. It was part of team bonding.

"We were playing for real cash, if you were playing for £30,000 you would have it with you at the time."

The 29-year-old was speaking as a witness in a £750,000 cocaine trial, relating to an alleged drug factory in the North East.

He said his addiction got so bad that he would set his alarm for 3am so he could place bets on games that were taking place in South America.

He also revealed that after playing for Newcastle and Cardiff, the reason he then signed for Sunderland was to use the signing on fee to pay off his debts.

"I was at Cardiff for one year and then I went to Sunderland. I got a signing on fee and paid my debts off," he said.

"The main reason I went to Sunderland was to pay my debts off. When you go to the Premier League you earn more money."

He said on one occasion a loan shark turned up at the Ipswich training ground, and told him they knew where his child went to school.

"I had loan sharks turning up at the training ground when I was at Ipswich," he said.

"They came up to me and asked me for my autograph and said I better get myself into the club and get that money now.

"They said they knew what car I was driving and they would follow me until I paid them. They said they knew what school my little boy went to and where my parents lived and where I lived in Ipswich.

"I felt sick that I had put my family in that situation from my gambling."

The trial he was giving evidence at involves four men, Daniel Chisholm, 51, Christopher Bacon, 34, John Somerville, 53, and Joseph Lewins, 55, who are all accused of being involved in the drug scam.

Prosecutors allege that £50,000 found in the footwell of a car by police was drug money, but the court heard that this money had belonged to Chopra and was due to be paid to a loan shark.

Somerville said he had often helped Chopra out with dealing with his debts, and that he had taken this money and then had it sent to the people he owed in Liverpool, jurors were told.

The court had previously heard that police discovered two large blocks of cocaine, a hydraulic press, mixing agents and packaging products at Lewins' house.

All four men deny the charges of conspiracy to supply the class A drug.

Just been reading this on the Wales online thing.

Very sad. I hope in years to come we don't hear more about Chopra and his antics. I hope he can clean up his act now.

Funny when Carl and I put things out about Chops, we got ridiculed and called liars and making up shit, but those same posters never come back and say they were wrong Hmm


Michael Chopra: I left Cardiff City to pay off my gambling debts
28 Nov 2013
The former Blueburds striker said the main reason he went to Sunderland was to pay off his debts with the signing on fee


Michael Chopra


Former Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra has lifted the lid on his gambling addiction and revealed how players at one of his clubs would bet sums of £30,000 on the team bus.

there's nothing wrong with being wrong,but we should all be man enough to admit after

Giving evidence at Newcastle Crown Court, Chopra went into detail about the level of debt he got into and how he and his family were threatened by loan sharks.

He explained that just a year after making his debut for Newcastle at 17, he already knew he had a problem and had racked up debts of tens of thousands of pounds.

He told jurors that at the time, the big name players at the club included Alan Shearer, Kieron Dyer, Titus Bramble and Craig Bellamy.

"I started gambling when I was about 17, when I first played for Newcastle I was travelling with the first team," he said.

"Players would gamble on the bus and I got involved. We would take thousands of pounds onto the bus, anything up to £30,000.

"It might change hands playing cards on the bus, we would go to the bank before and take out the money. It was part of team bonding.

"We were playing for real cash, if you were playing for £30,000 you would have it with you at the time."

The 29-year-old was speaking as a witness in a £750,000 cocaine trial, relating to an alleged drug factory in the North East.

He said his addiction got so bad that he would set his alarm for 3am so he could place bets on games that were taking place in South America.

He also revealed that after playing for Newcastle and Cardiff, the reason he then signed for Sunderland was to use the signing on fee to pay off his debts.

"I was at Cardiff for one year and then I went to Sunderland. I got a signing on fee and paid my debts off," he said.

"The main reason I went to Sunderland was to pay my debts off. When you go to the Premier League you earn more money."

He said on one occasion a loan shark turned up at the Ipswich training ground, and told him they knew where his child went to school.

"I had loan sharks turning up at the training ground when I was at Ipswich," he said.

"They came up to me and asked me for my autograph and said I better get myself into the club and get that money now.

"They said they knew what car I was driving and they would follow me until I paid them. They said they knew what school my little boy went to and where my parents lived and where I lived in Ipswich.

"I felt sick that I had put my family in that situation from my gambling."

The trial he was giving evidence at involves four men, Daniel Chisholm, 51, Christopher Bacon, 34, John Somerville, 53, and Joseph Lewins, 55, who are all accused of being involved in the drug scam.

Prosecutors allege that £50,000 found in the footwell of a car by police was drug money, but the court heard that this money had belonged to Chopra and was due to be paid to a loan shark.

Somerville said he had often helped Chopra out with dealing with his debts, and that he had taken this money and then had it sent to the people he owed in Liverpool, jurors were told.

The court had previously heard that police discovered two large blocks of cocaine, a hydraulic press, mixing agents and packaging products at Lewins' house.

All four men deny the charges of conspiracy to supply the class A drug.

He'll probably end up skint with nothing to show from a good football career.

Absolutely disccusting the way that football clubs are run! How the feck can the management leave these situations occur? Players taking £30k to gamble away on coaches before they are going out and playing important games. It's absolutely shocking how irresponsible and lacking in respect that is, on all levels.
Would Bobby Robson have been the manager at the time this was going on?

I've said on here before that the season he started on fire scoring for fun,(the burning boot against brizzle) then slumped for the rest of the season, did he have money on himself scoring a certain amount that season, dunno, but with his addiction it makes you think. I hope not, guess we'll never know.

What a waste - could have set him and family up for life instead of being a price and gambling it away. I have heard of big cash and rolex's etc being bet on City buses years ago, but 30 is an unreal amount of money.

Just confirms what people (Annis and Carl included) said at the time, so nothing new in reality

Guess there won't be too many retractions from those who ridiculed at the time, though

As for Chopra?? A wasted talent who will regret his actions for a long time after he retires

Hero to zero at so many clubs, but particularly OURS

Just confirms what people (Annis and Carl included) said at the time, so nothing new in reality

Guess there won't be too many retractions from those who ridiculed at the time, though

As for Chopra?? A wasted talent who will regret his actions for a long time after he retires

Hero to zero at so many clubs, but particularly OURS

Chris, Sadly Chops had the world at his feet and ruined his own career, what a waste of talent.

Just confirms what people (Annis and Carl included) said at the time, so nothing new in reality

Guess there won't be too many retractions from those who ridiculed at the time, though

As for Chopra?? A wasted talent who will regret his actions for a long time after he retires

Hero to zero at so many clubs, but particularly OURS

Chris, Sadly Chops had the world at his feet and ruined his own career, what a waste of talent.

Gambling addiction is sometimes referred to as the "hidden illness". I hope he recovers one day!

Just confirms what people (Annis and Carl included) said at the time, so nothing new in reality

Guess there won't be too many retractions from those who ridiculed at the time, though

As for Chopra?? A wasted talent who will regret his actions for a long time after he retires

Hero to zero at so many clubs, but particularly OURS

Chris, Sadly Chops had the world at his feet and ruined his own career, what a waste of talent.

Very sad indeed.

Just confirms what people (Annis and Carl included) said at the time, so nothing new in reality

Guess there won't be too many retractions from those who ridiculed at the time, though

As for Chopra?? A wasted talent who will regret his actions for a long time after he retires

Hero to zero at so many clubs, but particularly OURS

Chris, Sadly Chops had the world at his feet and ruined his own career, what a waste of talent.

Very sad indeed.

The world was his oyster but messed it up big time, such a waste of great talent. I really hope he recovers from his gambling addictions. He was a great player for us and could have left a Cardiff legend but sadly I think he will only be remembered for his gambling addiction

Just confirms what people (Annis and Carl included) said at the time, so nothing new in reality

Guess there won't be too many retractions from those who ridiculed at the time, though

As for Chopra?? A wasted talent who will regret his actions for a long time after he retires

Hero to zero at so many clubs, but particularly OURS

Chris, Sadly Chops had the world at his feet and ruined his own career, what a waste of talent.

Very sad indeed.

The world was his oyster but messed it up big time, such a waste of great talent. I really hope he recovers from his gambling addictions. He was a great player for us and could have left a Cardiff legend but sadly I think he will only be remembered for his gambling addiction

Sadly you can imagine him leaving court and going straigh to put a bet on

I read in Bellamys book how they hid chops phone at HT in a game so he could focus and not check his bets and he was going mad and refusing to go back out until he got it.

I just hope its just bets he put on and not linked to any match fixing.

Addiction is a terrible condition, and condition it definitely is - alcohol, gambling,sex,food, drugs,ocd,etc,etc, I am a recovering gambler myself, in rehab, there was a chap who was a multi millionaire (can't and wont disclose the exact details), had a villa in Spain and one in Turkey, owned 6 apartment blocks full of rentals in central London, his 4 children were all in private education.

At his worst, he disclosed that he would have a regular standing order with his bank to collect 50,000 (yes, fifty thousand)per DAY, pull up outside in his roller and collect - straight down the private members casino (he had at least 4 private memberships of London's top casino's) - Sometimes he would win, but eventually, as we all know, he would loose and chase the loss every day - ITS REALLY SCAREY.

Eventually after selling both villa's, all his London apartments (not forgetting the rental income), taking his children out of private education and his wife divorcing him and him selling his own home and staying in a rundown bedsit that his best mate came around to pay the rent directly to the landlord on a weekly basis (he could not give him the money as he would gamble it away ).

He was eventually persuaded and funded by his mate to come into the same rehab as me. Don't know what happened to him but I can honestly say, that listening to his and other peoples addiction experiences, helped me so, so much - literally scared the living daylights out of me - I am so thankful to be out of all that now for over 10 years. But I take everyday as a blessing.

It actually scares me when I here people around me talk about gambling as I and many more are living testament, that for some addictive personality people, it is HELL !!!

Hope Chop's gets the help he needs.

Blooobirds

He may be remembered for his gambling addiction, but for me he will be remembered for his winner v the swans, the burning boot celebration, his hatrick v leicester and so many more great moments!

Sadly these things happen, I hope one day he fully recovers and gets on with his life and is happy. A great talent. He can still sort himself out and have a career he just has to find the motivation and get stuck in.

I know a guy who was offered 10% to collect a debt (£150k) or the same to break his leg if he didn't pay up.
Never forget his goal against the Jacks, "what's that coming the hill......."

Congratulations you were right.


Feel better?

Gotta be honest, I remember people saying it shouldnt be made public unless chops does it himself. I dont remember people disbelieving.

Gotta be honest, I remember people saying it shouldnt be made public unless chops does it himself. I dont remember people disbelieving.

Craig, we get attacked from all angles for saying the truth, but everyone then goes in to hiding, when the truth comes out.