Dr Claire-Marie Roberts, a performance expert with extensive experience in elite sport, has raised concerns about the widespread use of unproven methods and products in professional football. Having worked with Premier League clubs and most recently at Coventry City, Roberts said the sport is increasingly vulnerable to pseudoscientific claims, largely driven by aggressive marketing and players’ desire for quick performance enhancements.

Roberts pointed to the sale of purportedly performance-boosting products, such as canned oxygen, as emblematic of the problem. “It’s only 21% oxygen in the atmosphere,” she said, highlighting the absurdity of repackaging a common element as a novel supplement. She described receiving numerous weekly pitches for devices, supplements, and technologies claiming to offer miraculous gains, many of which lack credible scientific backing.

One widely used recovery method she scrutinised is cryotherapy, where players expose themselves to extreme cold, often in specialised chambers or ice baths. Roberts stated that the evidence supporting cryotherapy’s benefits is “very sketchy” and suggested it may even hinder muscular adaptation. She recommended that athletes prioritise basic recovery factors such as sleep and nutrition instead. The use of cryotherapy, she suggested, is often driven by trendiness rather than effectiveness.

The supplement industry also drew Roberts’ criticism, particularly the indiscriminate use of vitamins and pills. While she acknowledged that certain supplements like vitamin D and vitamin C might be appropriate to address deficiencies, she stressed that supplementation should be tailored to individual needs rather than used as a blanket performance enhancer. She warned that supplements cannot compensate for poor diet and lifestyle habits, emphasizing the fundamental importance of quality nutrition and rest.

Roberts further questioned the utility of kinesiology tape, a product frequently worn by high-profile players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. According to her, the tape provides no proven benefit in injury prevention or performance enhancement and amounts largely to a placebo effect. In contrast, she noted the limited but genuine protective role of traditional strapping for injuries.

She noted that football’s resistance to science often stems from entrenched habits and a lack of critical evaluation within coaching and medical staffs. Practices adopted from observation or anecdote frequently persist without rigorous scrutiny, she said, underscoring the “science-practice gap” that is widening in the sport.

Roberts called for football clubs to place greater emphasis on evidence-based approaches, employing qualified professionals to assess claims critically and prevent exploitation by those promoting unverified interventions. “Football in general is very anti-intellectual,” she said, attributing the issue to a cultural reluctance to embrace scientific rigour in the game’s day-to-day operations.

Drawing on her experience working with Frank Lampard’s squad and subsequent role at Formula One team McLaren, Roberts urged a return to basics in athlete preparation. She warned against the search for shortcuts, emphasizing the longstanding importance of dedicated training, nutrition, and sleep in achieving sustained performance gains.