Leeds star arrested over sexual assault allegations
A Leeds United player and another man have been arrested in connection with a serious sexual assault.
The player was arrested for questioning last night, over the assault of a twenty-year-old woman near Leeds. Another player is reported to be helping the police with their investigations.
Leeds United has stated that they will abide by club policy and afford every co-operation to the police.
The alleged sexual assault took place on Monday evening, and police have cordoned off a lay-by on a road out of the city, with forensic officers at the scene.
Police are continuing to investigate the alleged rape of a 17-year-old in a London hotel, involving several Premiership stars.
The sport has recently been beset by reports of drunken behaviour and violence, and this new scandal is likely to add to the perception that football, and footballers, are out of control.
Yesterday, Newcastle United and Wales international footballer Craig Bellamy was fined £750 after pleading guilty to threatening abusive or insulting words or behaviour in relation to an incident outside a nightclub in Cardiff.
England defender Rio Ferdinand has also been dropped from the squad for the country’s next match in Istanbul, following his failure to attend a routine drugs test.
The latest arrests are also likely to put further strain on Leeds United, which has already suffered criminal investigations against two of its players in recent years. Since then the club has fallen from European hopefuls to a club on the brink of bankruptcy and relegation.
Ongoing problems have seen the manager’s future publicly questioned by his bosses, but the return of police investigations to Elland Road may overshadow their problems on the pitch.
