A Premier League footballer was arrested at his training ground after a complaint was made that he had recorded a ‘sex tape’ without a woman’s consent.
Two mobile phones were seized by police before the player was told he will take no further action as the case was dropped by detectives.
According to a report in The Sun newspaper, teammates witnessed the man’s arrest when officers approached him on a training field.
The player’s identity is known to Telegraph Sport but cannot be published for legal reasons. “Many stars initially thought it was a joke when two uniformed officers walked onto the field during training,” a source told The Sun. “Everyone was in disbelief. Players were open-mouthed. No one knew for sure what was going on.”
The player returned to training on Friday and was available for selection for his team’s FA Cup third round. Police made the arrest after a woman told officers that the footballer had secretly filmed a relationship she was having with the footballer.
The police force that made the arrest said in a statement: “A man in his twenties was arrested at an address on suspicion of voyeurism. It was decided that no further action would be taken due to insufficient evidence.”
In 2022, Telegraph Sport revealed how the Premier League had introduced mandatory sexual consent training for players and staff following a high-profile police crackdown in England involving top footballers. Training sessions focused on healthy, respectful relationships and included understanding harassment and consent.
“Today’s announcement is a long-awaited and important first step in the right direction,” said End Violence Against Women.
Coalition director Andrea Simon said at the time. “Gender-based violence is a pervasive and systemic problem that must be addressed across the football industry as a whole, with urgent and coordinated action.”
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