Capello warns England stars to stay off the booze

England coach Fabio Capello has warned his stars they run the risk of bringing a premature end to their careers by drinking alcohol.

In his three years in charge of the England team, Capello has seen a succession of English players become involved in drink-related incidents.

The latest were Manchester City trio Gareth Barry, Joe Hart and Adam Johnson, who were pictured at a party in student accommodation during a golfing visit to St Andrews in Scotland.

Capello has some sympathy for his players, whose lives he feels are now open to scrutiny like never before thanks to modern technology such as cameras on mobile phones.

But the Italian believes the damage they are causing to their bodies could shorten their careers.

“If a player drinks a lot his career will be shorter,” Capello said. “This is important. Players have to understand the effect drink has on the body.

“I don’t think it is possible to be a top athlete and drink heavily after matches.”

Having spent his professional career in Italy and Spain, where alcohol tends to be consumed during meals but rarely in vast quantities away from the table, Capello was surprised to be confronted by a culture more akin to the one he experienced during brief forays into the world of rugby.

However, alcohol will be banned from England’s team hotel in Watford ahead of Wednesday’s friendly with France, which is in line with a policy Capello has stuck rigidly to throughout his reign.

“It was the culture of the rugby players,” he said. “The two teams stayed together one hour. Now I have learned that some players drink here. But this is the English culture.

“You can know everything about what happens in someone’s private life because of the mobile phone.

“It can record all the time. It can take pictures. You can find everything on Facebook or Twitter.

“It is the worst thing. It is why people can speak about certain people drinking or being out. Players now have to be so careful.”