Chelsea and England captain John Terry is expected to sue the Indian health ministry after his picture was used for an anti-smoking campaign.
The Blues defender has decided to take action after a blurred photo of himself, which was created by Indian advertising agency Directorate of Visual Publicity (DAVP) appeared on a cigarette packet with the warning 'Smoking Kills' displayed underneath it.
"We have reviewed this matter with our client and have today instructed solicitors to take appropriate action," The Mirror quotes Terry's representative Keith Cousins as saying.
The advertising agency have claimed that they are unaware of why the centre-back's picture was used for the campaign. DAVP director-general KS Dhatwalia said: "We sent the creative to the health ministry and they then cleared and circulated it. But how Terry's picture got to be used is not clear. I am trying to find out."
A health ministry spokesman added: "We realised there was some confusion about one of the warnings and we immediately issued a clarification in November. The creative came to us from DAVP and we released it after due clearances. We are not responsible for pictures that may have been used by DAVP and cannot say whether it is the footballer."
Meanwhile, Terry will appear in court next month for allegations of racial abuse towards Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.
Danielle Joynson
