Before kick-off, Sweden have already beaten France – thanks to a super sub

Before a ball has been kicked in tonight’s FIFA World Cup knockout clash between Sweden and France, the Scandinavian nation has already claimed victory in another high-stakes contest.

International health experts say that whatever happens on the pitch, the Swedes have shown that policymakers win when they bring on a ‘super sub’ in the fight against smoking.

Rather than relying solely on traditional tobacco control measures, Sweden substituted deadly cigarettes with smoke-free nicotine alternatives – helping drive daily smoking down to just 5.3%, compared with 17.4% in France.

The contrast has taken on added significance after France winger Michael Olise sparked headlines earlier in the tournament when eagle-eyed fans spotted nicotine pouches among his belongings at the team’s World Cup camp.

Yet the same smoke-free products that appear acceptable to one of France’s biggest football stars are effectively outlawed in his home country, where their manufacture, sale, import, possession and use can attract penalties including fines of up to €375,000 and prison sentences of up to five years.

Smoke Free Sweden says the difference between the two nations is one of tactics. Sweden recognised that smokers need an effective replacement for cigarettes and brought on smoke-free alternatives such as snus, nicotine pouches and vapes as its super sub.

As use of those products has increased, smoking has fallen by more than half since 2012, propelling Sweden to become the world’s first officially smoke-free nation.

France, meanwhile, has continued to rely almost exclusively on conventional tobacco control policies while banning nicotine pouches altogether.

Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden, said: “Every successful football team knows that sometimes the player who changes the game starts on the bench. Sweden’s super sub in the fight against smoking has been smoke-free nicotine alternatives. They have helped millions of adults move away from cigarettes and delivered the lowest smoking rate in Europe.

“France has kept that same super sub off the pitch. The result is a smoking rate more than three times higher than Sweden’s.”

The Swedish game plan has also delivered major health dividends. Sweden records male lung cancer mortality 61% below the EU average and overall cancer mortality 34% lower than the EU average.

“Tonight’s football match could be decided in just 90 minutes,” added Dr Human, a former secretary-general of the World Medical Association. “But the public health result has been years in the making. Instead of sticking rigidly to one formation, Sweden made the right substitution and is a clear winner when it comes to reducing smoking and saving lives.”

-ends-