Blackburn Rovers’ Indian owners are making news again for all the wrong reasons. They have faced criticism for selling antibiotics which boost animal growth. Now rumours are flying round about their alleged human use in trying to build up weight gain in the football club’s leaky defence.
Many Rovers fans believe their team’s back four and goalkeeper do seem rather lightweight. They have conceded nearly a goal a game so far this season and adding a bit of bulk could be an answer to this problem. Sadly for Rovers, Venky’s track record of mixing its chicken products with its footballers has definitely not paid off so far. Their infamous advert showing players in the dressing room, battling for chicken drumsticks, was titled ‘Good For You’. It received derision not only from rival fans, but from Rovers supporters too.
Unfortunately history would also judge this advert – and Venky’s inept ownership – as being anything but good for Blackburn Rovers. We are over £100M in debt and languish in English football’s third tier. The last thing we need is our players being accused of doping. We already know who the dopes are at Rovers and they live in India.
Criticism of Venky’s and other pharmaceutical companies mainly relates to possible long-term damage from feeding chickens Colistin as a weight gainer. It could make bacteria build up resistance to this antibiotic. Therefore disease and superbugs could enter the food chain through chickens and their surroundings and become a potential threat to humans and other animals.
One of the Venky brothers may already have been voluntarily testing their weight gaining promoters over many years. His physique would indicate great success at gaining bulk. But when asked about any adverse effects to himself, or his food tasters, no comments were forthcoming from the company.
Although not illegal in India, many animal health and welfare organisations want this practice of adding antibiotics to chicken feed banned. England’s Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies has called for a worldwide ban on Colistin and other antibiotics as growth promoters.
Perhaps the FA could consider not only banning doping amongst footballers, but also amongst club owners too. Unfortunately for Blackburn Rovers fans, the FA seems to be as lightweight in its actions as our leaky defence. Venky’s have become our club’s own resistant superbugs and they are proving extremely difficult to eradicate.
