http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8016412.stm
Chelsea star John Mikel Obi has been banned from driving for 15 months after admitting drinking and driving.
The midfielder, who also plays for Nigeria, was arrested on 24 January in his Range Rover on Fulham Road, west London, near the club's ground.
The player, 21, from Weybridge, Surrey, was found by police to be almost twice the drink-drive limit.
District Judge Jeremy Coleman also ordered Mikel to pay £1,580, at the West London Magistrates' Court hearing.
Mikel's solicitor told the court the player would not attend a drink driving course, which could shorten his sentence. Instead the player "would just like to serve it out".
'Suspicious driving'
Mikel was stopped after officers saw him driving quickly and thought it was suspicious, prosecutor Fubhanur Chowdhury told the court
"The reason he was stopped is he was driving at speed. The officers became suspicious of the manner in which he was driving.
"They could smell alcohol on his breath. There were three attempts to provide a sample and the result was positive," he said.
The player was found to have 66 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, which is almost twice the legal limit.
The court heard he had drunk four to five glasses of wine at dinner after watching his team play at Stamford Bridge.
The prosecution withdrew a charge of driving without a proper licence against him after they found he held a valid international licence.
The midfielder, who also plays for Nigeria, was arrested on 24 January in his Range Rover on Fulham Road, west London, near the club's ground.
The player, 21, from Weybridge, Surrey, was found by police to be almost twice the drink-drive limit.
District Judge Jeremy Coleman also ordered Mikel to pay £1,580, at the West London Magistrates' Court hearing.
Mikel's solicitor told the court the player would not attend a drink driving course, which could shorten his sentence. Instead the player "would just like to serve it out".
'Suspicious driving'
Mikel was stopped after officers saw him driving quickly and thought it was suspicious, prosecutor Fubhanur Chowdhury told the court
"The reason he was stopped is he was driving at speed. The officers became suspicious of the manner in which he was driving.
"They could smell alcohol on his breath. There were three attempts to provide a sample and the result was positive," he said.
The player was found to have 66 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, which is almost twice the legal limit.
The court heard he had drunk four to five glasses of wine at dinner after watching his team play at Stamford Bridge.
The prosecution withdrew a charge of driving without a proper licence against him after they found he held a valid international licence.
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