England drop player for drinking

Hard on the heels of the alcohol problems of the Arsenal captain, Tony Adams, and the introduction of random breath tests in professional football, comes the news that the England badminton player Nathan Robertson has been dropped for breaching tough new rules on drinking brought in by the national coach, Steve Baddeley.

Robertson, who was this week named in the England party to meet China in November, was caught by Baddeley drinking alcohol at a party during the Friends Provident Grand Slam tournament in Perth at the weekend.

The 19-year-old Nottingham-based player has been dropped from the England squads entered for the Dutch and Russian Opens, although he will still attend training sessions.

Robertson, who is a member of the newly established England Talent Squad, is the first international to fall foul of the tough new training regime put into operation by Baddeley. It is all part of his long-term plan to improve England's performance at major tournaments.

The move follows an announcement by the Football Association this week that Premiership and Football League players will face random tests after matches and training as part of an initiative to warn players about the dangers of alcohol.