Michael Chopra was in rehab for gambling addiction

Player of Indian Origin Michael Chopra, who plays for English Championship side Ipswich Town, is once more fighting his addiction against gambling as was disclosed by his club coach Paul Jewell earlier today.

After the game on October 1 against Brighton Chops spent three weeks receiving treatment for a gambling addiction in the Sporting Chance Clinic in Hampshire and only came out to play games for Ipswich Town. Now things are said to be better and the club decided to make it public ahead of the game against FC Millwall over the weekend.

"Chops has a gambling problem. It's an illness," Paul Jewell told the Ipswich Town club website.

"But he's doing something about it. He is standing up and facing the problem head on and he deserves credit for that. It's a brave man that does that.

"He needs the help of the players around him, myself, the chief executive, and most importantly the supporters. He is desperate to do well for this Football Club and loves it here.

"We have been there for him and we will continue to be there for him. All I ask is for the supporters to be there for him as well. I'm sure they will be because we're lucky, we have a great set of supporters at this Club."

But it isn't the first time that Chopra went into the Sporting Chance Clinic, founded by former England defender Tony Adams, to treat behavioural problems, such as alcohol, drugs and gambling addictions in professional and amateur sports people. Chopra is known to have a gambling problem and had been in rehab in 2008 while at AFC Sunderland.