'It is very bad news for kids here because they worship the club'
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Your support makes all the difference.The Leicester City players at the centre of the police investigation would have found little sympathy yesterday among the club's supporters.
Their arrest was the only talking point in the pubs and bars in the city. Karen O'Reardon, 33, said: "If they are guilty they should be sacked because I am very keen that the club demonstrates to the community that it has high values and principles."
Some fans, however, were anxious to find any hope to cling to, with some suggesting the players may have been set up. Ann Statham, 39, said: "It will be very bad for them and the club if they are proved guilty but personally I think there is more behind the story than we have so far heard.
"It wouldn't surprise me if evidence against them has been fabricated but footballers are in the public eye and they should learn the meaning of discretion."
Michelle Herrick, 40, said: "I have mixed feelings about this. I suspect that they may have been set up but as footballers they should be very wary of any situation. In today's climate they should have realised that hotels, drink and strange women can be a dangerous mix."
But Kate Winnett, 44, said: "If the players are guilty they deserve all they get. They have brought the club into disrepute and put it in the headlines for all the wrong reasons."
Other fans were concerned about the effect the news would have on Leicester City's links with the local community and with its younger fans. Martin King, 35, said: "If they are guilty it is very bad news for kids around here because they absolutely worship Leicester City."
Cliff Ginetta, the chairman of the Leicester City Supporters' Club, said: "This is disappointing, just when we have been putting the club back together. The last thing we needed was a story like this and I am a bit surprised that the football club decided to take the players back there."
On one fanzine website, a fan wrote: "Innocent until proven guilty is absolutely right. However, the fact that nine players put themselves in a position whereby they were even close to a situation of this sort reflects a severe lack of judgement."
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