Foxes place alcohol ban on players' bar

Leicester City welcomed the three players facing sex charges back from Spain yesterday with the pledge of an internal investigation into the alleged incidents in La Manga and a promise that the players' bar at the Walkers Stadium is to become an alcohol-free zone.

Paul Dickov, Frank Sinclair and Keith Gillespie, who deny accusations by three German women, arrived at Luton airport from Alicante after being released on bail totalling £196,500.

Micky Adams, the Leicester manager, will not consider them for today's game at Birmingham.

Leicester's chief operating officer, Paul Mace, said that the players' representatives were responsible for raising the bail, a condition of which is that the trio must report intermittently to the Spanish consulate. "At this stage, no trial date has been set and the judge is still awaiting forensic evidence,'' Mace said.

"A week ago it was suggested that the players could be in jail for a year or more. Our advice was that they would be detained for a matter of days. Thankfully, that's how it has turned out. They will be engaging their own independent legal advisors. All three protest their innocence in the strongest possible terms.''

Dickov, Sinclair and Gillespie will spend the weekend with their families, having been instructed not to comment on the case. Mace, having spoken briefly to Sinclair, said they were "in very good spirits considering the ordeal they have been through''.

The lawyer for their accusers, Encarnacion Gomez, said the decision to grant bail had left her "perplexed''. She added: "I have doubts about whether they have let them out because they are famous people.''

Insisting that there would be "no whitewash'' in the club's inquiry, Mace said: "We won't shy away from strong action if we feel it is appropriate. There are situations we need to avoid in the future. Without giving too much away, the players' bar will now be alcohol-free.''

Adams will also introduce a "blanket ban'' on alcohol on foreign trips. His opposite number this afternoon, Steve Bruce, said Leicester's experience proved that mid-season breaks abroad, as opposed to pre-season tours, were "not worth the hassle''.