Penalty shoot-outs 'put English hearts at risk'

As England fans know, the stress of watching your team take part in a penalty shoot-out can take its toll. Now a study of hospital admissions shows that heart attack victims increased by 25 per cent after England's 1998 match against Argentina, when David Batty blasted his spot-kick over the bar.

Researchers from Bristol and Birmingham Universities have proposed that an alternative to penalties be found. "Perhaps the lottery of the penalty shoot-out should be abandoned on public health grounds," they said.

The study, in the British Medical Journal, looked at hospital admissions for heart attack, stroke, self-harm and road accidents up to five days after England's matches.