Football NewsThe GuardianUnverified source· 22 Sept 2026
Performance director warns of pseudoscience in football
Dr Claire-Marie Roberts says cryotherapy and other practices lack evidence, calling it 'bordering on exploitation'.
O. Roberts
coach
Who
Dr Claire-Marie Roberts
Role
Performance director
Former club
Coventry City
Issue
Pseudoscience in football
What happened. Dr Claire-Marie Roberts, a top performance director, has warned that pseudoscientific practices like cryotherapy chambers are being used in elite football despite having little evidence behind them. She described the situation as 'bordering on exploitation'.
- Roberts received up to 50 LinkedIn messages a week pitching unproven devices, supplements or technology.
- She recalled a caller asking if she knew atmospheric oxygen levels, then pitching oxygen in a can.
- Cryotherapy chambers were specifically highlighted as lacking evidence.
“It's bordering on exploitation”
— Dr Claire-Marie Roberts
The warning raises questions about the use of unproven methods in elite football and the need for evidence-based practices.
In this story
Coventry
