Paul Ince: Former England captain banned from driving after crash

Times

19-07-2025

The former England captain Paul Ince has been banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay more than £7,000 after pleading guilty to drink-driving.
The former footballer, 57, was arrested after a black Range Rover collided with the central reservation on Chester High Road in Neston at about 5pm on Saturday, June 28. Arriving at court on Friday, he stopped to sign an autograph with a fan and posed for a selfie with another.
Judge McGarva told Ince: 'The message has got to be if you're going to drive you don't drink at all.'
He was banned from driving for 12 months, fined £5,000 and ordered to pay a £2,000 statutory surcharge and £85 in costs.
Ince played for West Ham, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Wolves from 1986 to 2006 and is a two-time Premier League winner.
Ince had a reading of 49 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when he was stopped by police, the court heard. He had swerved his car into a barrier, causing two tyres to burst. He then pulled into a petrol station, where police attended.
Frank Rogers, for the defence, said the former footballer recognised he 'only has himself to blame' for the 'huge impact of the ban'. He added: 'He misjudged the fact he believed at the time he would be under the limit.'
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Ince had been at a golf club for a competition and had not eaten before having two drinks in the clubhouse, his lawyer said, adding: 'He felt fine to drive — of course we now know that he shouldn't have done.'
As Ince approached a roundabout on his way home, his phone slipped and he instinctively reached for it, causing the car to veer, the court heard.
Nigel Jones, for the prosecution, said: 'On the day in question, the defendant was witnessed by an off-duty police officer driving a vehicle perceived to be swerving across the road.'
Ince earned 53 caps for England, appearing at the Euros in 1996 and 2000 and the World Cup in 1998. He made more than 200 appearances for Manchester United during the early to mid-1990s, winning two Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup.
In 1993, he became the first black footballer to captain the national team, leading the side in a friendly against the United States just a year after making his senior debut.
After his retirement, Ince moved into management, taking charge of clubs including Macclesfield Town, MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool. His most recent role was at Reading, which he managed between 2022 and 2023.