Most English soccer clubs have a tradition of holding team Christmas parties each year in the month of December. The parties have often been a public relations nightmare for teams, as some players tend to have a bit too much fun and get themselves into trouble. That will not be happening with the Queens Park Rangers this year.
Because they are currently in last place in the English Premier League, the QPR players have decided that it would not be appropriate to hold a Christmas party for the team this year. According to The Telegraph, the teams feels that it would give the wrong impression to its fans by holding a celebration during a disappointing season.
It may have helped the Queens Park Rangers’ decision that a West Ham player, Andy Carroll, was recently involved in a physical confrontation with a photographer during his team’s Christmas party in Ireland. The team says that Carroll, the highest-paid player in West Ham history, broke no team rules and that a photographer continued to take pictures after he was told to stop.
Whether Carroll was at fault or not, the situation itself may have played a role in inspiring the QPR players to keep the partying to a minimum. They’re already making headlines for being terrible. The last thing they need is reporters talking about how they’re useless on the field and drunks off of it.
