Tottenham defender Ledley King was arrested today outside a nightclub after allegedly assaulting a doorman.
The Spurs captain was released on bail after being questioned by police on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm to the nightclub doorman in London's Soho district.
King, who had returned to London after playing in Tottenham's 0-0 draw with Everton in Liverpool, was detainedabout 2.30am after officers on a routine patrol were flagged down by members of the public.
"A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm following an allegation of assault made by a man in his 20s," said a statement from London's Metropolitan Police, which didn't publicly identify King in line with force policy.
The alleged victim, who did not require medical treatment, said in an interview with Sky News that King made racist remarks to him and pushed him.
"After five or 10 minutes he just turned around again and tried to push us," Wahib Butt told Sky. "We refused to let him come inside because he was so drunk. He started calling us different names and he started saying to me racist comments.
"He was saying to me that I'm fat, I'm earning less than him, he's a rich guy so he's got nothing to lose and I've got everything to lose. He should not be doing this because he should be setting a good example to people who follow him."
Tottenham issued a statement saying they knew about the altercation.
"The club is aware of an incident involving Ledley King in the early hours of Sunday morning," Tottenham said in a statement. "We await details and information and it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this time."
King, who has a chronic knee injury that prevents him from practicing between games, was called up to the England squad in March for the first time in almost two years. However, his bad knees forced him to pull out before a friendly against Slovakia.