A box of nicotine pouches was found among Michael Olise’s belongings during France’s World Cup camp. The finding puts the Bayern Munich winger at the center of a wider issue that has been surfacing in professional football.
Olise is a French international, and the pouch in his locker was not a tobacco product. Nicotine pouches are used orally, placed between the gum and lip, and are classified as a white nicotine product.
France and Michael Olise
The discovery came during France’s World Cup camp, where a personal item was spotted among his belongings. That makes the case more specific than a general debate about smoking: it involves a player in a national-team environment and a product that is designed to deliver nicotine without tobacco.
The brand linked to the pouch is available in several strengths and flavours, including mint, watermelon and strawberry. Each pouch typically contains between 5 and 20 milligrams of nicotine, and its effects last between 20 and 60 minutes.
Loughborough University Study
A study conducted by Loughborough University found that one in five professional players reported using nicotine pouches, snus or both. The survey covered 628 male players from the Premier League and the English Football League, along with 51 players from the Women’s Super League.
That places the Olise discovery inside a broader pattern already visible in the game. The product found in his locker is part of a category that has become more common in football circles, even as its use remains medically contested.
Risk and Nicotine Pouches
Spain’s Ministry of Health report says nicotine pouches contain nicotine salts together with microcrystalline cellulose, sodium carbonate and other carbonate salts, citric acid and flavourings. It also says nicotine remains the primary toxic substance, while tobacco-specific nitrosamines may be present when nicotine is extracted from tobacco leaves.
The same report says nicotine pouches may contain contaminants such as formaldehyde, acrolein, benzene and toxic metals including cadmium, lead and arsenic. Scientific studies have linked nicotine use to increased insulin resistance and a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while a 6 mg pouch has been shown to increase heart rate by an average of 10 beats per minute.
Symptoms of mild nicotine poisoning include dizziness, nausea and vomiting. More significant exposure can cause diarrhoea, excessive salivation and a slowed heart rate, while severe nicotine poisoning may lead to seizures and respiratory depression.
Dr Delon Human, the leader of Smoke Free Sweden and former secretary-general of the World Medical Association, said: “vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches are helping to reduce risk, and Sweden’s transition to a smoke-free country proves it.” He also said: “What kills is not the nicotine, it’s combustion.”
Olise’s locker discovery leaves one simple question hanging over a story that is now bigger than a single pouch: why was it there during France’s World Cup camp?
