Alcohol, sports link ban may take 10 years

The Government has kicked to touch its plans to ban sports sponsorship by the alcohol industry as drugs strategy minister Roisín Shortall admits it may take up to 10 years to enforce it.

The development comes on one of the biggest days in the sporting calendar, with the finals of the Heineken Cup and the Champions League also sponsored, in part, by the beer giant.

Ms Shortall told the Irish Examiner she was “confident” the Government would prohibit alcohol sponsorship of sporting events, but admitted the timeframe was an issue.