Cardiff City probe video showing star Connor Wickham ‘inhaling hippy crack from a balloon’

Cardiff City are investigating a video which appears to show striker Connor Wickham inhaling so-called ‘hippy crack’ from a balloon following his side’s defeat to rivals Swansea.

Wickham, 30, is seen holding a balloon to his mouth while inhaling and exhaling just hours after he appeared as a substitute during the 3-2 loss at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The footage, uploaded to his Instagram, has since been deleted. But the footballer has been hit with fierce criticism from fans as the video showed a group of individuals singing and dancing in a car shortly after Cardiff’s injury time loss, The Sun reports.

Wickham has since responded to the allegations and posted a statement on his social media.

Wickham, 30, is seen holding a balloon to his mouth while inhaling and exhaling just hours after he appeared as a substitute during the 3-2 loss at the Cardiff City Stadium

Wickham pictured during the Championship match between Cardiff City and Swansea on Saturday

The footballer has been hit with fierce criticism from fans as the video showed a group of individuals singing and dancing in a car

He said: ‘I’m obviously aware of a video circulating on social media. I know my responsibility as a professional. Playing for Cardiff City is a huge privilege, I’ve been so welcomed by you all and I will always give 100%.

‘To lose the game the way we did yesterday hurt more than ever, even though you will feel it doesn’t seem that way to me.’

‘I hope you can all understand and I will do my best [to] help my team and this club to achieve the best possible outcome this season.’

MailOnline understands that Cardiff City is looking into the incident.

It comes as the use of nitrous oxide is set to be banned as the Government launches its new policing mission to crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

More commonly known as laughing gas, nos or ‘hippy crack’- which is held in a small metal canister-, the harmful substance is inhaled using balloons and is described as causing a feeling of relaxation and dissociation from reality.

Wickham has since responded to the allegations and posted a statement on his social media

Brandon Williams, 22, of Manchester United in action during a team training session earlier this month

In recent years there have been growing concerns about its impact on a user’s health as well as the ‘epidemic’ of the silver canisters littering public spaces.

But last week, Manchester United star Brandon Williams was pictured appearing to inhale the legal high nitrous oxide from a balloon near the club’s training grounds. 

The 22-year-old full-back, who has failed to break into the club’s first team this season, was filmed appearing to breathe in the laughing gas as a passenger in a moving Mercedes Brabus supercar.

In the video published by The Sun he seems to pass a canister of the high to a rear passenger in the car while he is videoed from another vehicle.