Former Premier League striker Fraizer Campbell has revealed he was addicted to snus throughout his playing career and struggled with its effects after retiring.
Campbell made 446 appearances for Manchester United, Sunderland, Hull and Crystal Palace before retiring in 2022. He admits the addiction began during his three-year spell at Selhurst Park.
What is snus and how did it start?
Snus is a smokeless tobacco product made from ground or pulverised leaves, packaged like a teabag sachet, which users place under their top lip. Campbell says he originally took it to relax after games, but continued after retirement, when he began struggling with some of its effects.
Speaking on The Sports Agents podcast, he said: “I felt relaxed, and it just chilled me out more than anything. It was after a game as well, and after a game, it’s one of those things that it’s quite hard to relax after.”
Admitting the addiction
Campbell conceded he became addicted, something the product itself warns about, but he always avoided it on matchdays for fear of becoming too relaxed. “Well, yeah. I definitely was addicted,” he confessed. “But obviously, when I had more time on my hands when I retired, I had more time to have the snus. So obviously, in the morning, while I was playing, I might have one in the morning or two in the morning and then for the next couple of hours I’d be out on the training pitch.”
“I would never have them on a match day because it chilled me out too much, and I was someone that… I’m a pretty chill person as it is. If I was more chilled, I’d struggle to get into a jog.”
Life after football
Campbell, who says he is now clean, added: “It got a lot worse after I finished playing football, but I didn’t really see the negative side of it while I was playing.”
The use of snus is increasingly common among footballers, and former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy has admitted he was a regular user after retiring.
