The Continuing Mystery of John Terry

His image continues to be on Indian cigarette pack covers with the warning ‘Smoking Kills’

MUMBAI ~ A knee injury might have knocked John Terry out of football for a few weeks, but he continues to appear consistently on packs of Indian cigarettes.
A few months ago, the image of the Chelsea captain started to appear on packets of Indian cigarettes, like Gold Flake, along with the mandatory warning, ‘Smoking Kills’. Terry’s agents were alerted of this development.

Just how did Terry end up in grim Government of India paperwork, directing cigarette manufacturers to use the image in question? “It would seem that the picture is of [Terry] and he has not posed for anything like this,” Keith Cousins of the Elite Management agency said when the matter first came to light. “We don’t know where the image is taken from, but he has not given his consent for this. We have consulted solicitors in London and India to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.”

We expected the world’s greatest mystery since the Turin Shroud to end after this. But a blurry, phantom-like image of the footballer, his lungs suffering like the Chelsea defence, still appears. An email to Elite Management seeking updates went unanswered.

Meanwhile, Gold Flake and its maker, ITC, took the opportunity to remind us that they weren’t responsible for Terry’s picture. The image was sent to them by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. They also emphasised that as per rules, all Indian cigarettes under the purview of the health ministry had to have it.   

In an email to Open, Nazeeb Arif of ITC Ltd, writes, ‘The pictorial representations are as per the packaging and labelling rules prescribed by the Government of India vide GSR 417 (E) dated 27th May 2011. The entire tobacco industry has to follow the same based on the specified design that has been provided by the Government of India. In line with the gazetted government directives, these revised pictorial representations have been adopted by ITC and other members of the tobacco industry for all packs manufactured on or after 1st December 2011.’

About The Author

Akshay Sawai