Gavin Whyte: Oxford United and Northern Ireland winger shown 'masturbating in street' in leaked footage

The club have declined to comment on the video, which is being shared on social media

Tuesday 15 January 2019 10:15 GMT
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Oxford United and Northern Ireland winger Gavin Whyte shown 'masturbating in street' in leaked footage

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Oxford United have announced they will meet with star player Gavin Whyte after a leaked video appeared to show the club's in-form winger performing a sex act in the street.

The footage, which emerged after Saturday's 2-2 draw with Fleetwood Town, sees a man who appears to be Northern Ireland international Whyte and a companion both walking down a road singing and gesturing with their genitals exposed.

Whyte joined the League One side from Northern Ireland Football League Irish Premiership side Crusaders in the summer and has enjoyed an impressive season in his first season in English football, scoring four goals.

The 22-year-old made his international debut back in September scoring 108 seconds into a 3-0 win over Israel.

Oxford are battling for their lives on the field in League One, and have faced three winding-up orders as they fight to survive off it.

Gavin Whyte has broken into the Northern Ireland team in the last year
Gavin Whyte has broken into the Northern Ireland team in the last year (Getty)

United initially declined to comment when approached by The Independent but have since released a statement confirming that they will meet with Whyte on Friday and warn him as to his future conduct after "an incident back home in Northern Ireland at the weekend."

"Gavin was filmed behaving in a way that is clearly unacceptable from a professional footballer and we will work with both Gavin and the Irish FA to ensure that he is aware of his responsibilities.

Oxford manager Karl Robinson said: “It is totally out of character. Gavin is a quiet, respectful young man who is totally devastated by this: I have rarely heard anyone so remorseful for something that he regrets and knows he shouldn’t have done.

"Clearly he had drunk too much, and we will deal with that too, but whether you are a footballer or not that sort of behaviour is wrong on every level.

"We will sit down with Gavin today and we will remind him in no uncertain terms of his responsibilities. We have psychological and behavioural support here to help him get through this. He is a great kid and I hope the fans can forgive him for one moment of madness. ”

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