A policewoman leaves the hotel yesterday morning - it closed following the rape claimPolice have arrested a 19-year-old Manchester United player after a woman claimed she was raped at the team's £4,000 a head Christmas party. The 26-year-old dialled 999 from a hotel where players including Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand took part in a late-night drinking session.The accused player, a young squad member who plays at international level, was arrested on suspicion of rape after presenting himself for questioning. He remains in custody and is said to strongly deny any wrongdoing. Today the full horror of the party was revealed as players were said to be out of control after a 13-hour drinking session. Women at the party complained of being treated like "pieces of meat in a cattle market atmosphere".
The rape allegation, which came hours after Fabio Capello was unveiled as the new England manager, is another blow to the tarnished reputation of football. Manchester United stars are said to be "stunned" by the teenage player's arrest. The players had reportedly paid £100,000 for Monday's party and invited around 100 girls back to the £395-a-night Manchester hotel.
The event is said to have been organised by Ferdinand who is reported to have held a whip round to which 25 players gave £4,000 each. Wives and girlfriends were not invited. The alleged victim was there with her boyfriend. The venue, Great St John Street Hotel, which overlooks the Coronation Street set, was closed yesterday as police removed potential evidence.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was not present, is said to have reluctantly approved the day-long celebrations but ordered his team to be on their best behaviour. A total of 35 players, including many multi-million pound stars, began the day with lunch at the Manchester235 casino complex where they were entertained by drag queens and dancers.
They arrived by team coach and were photographed walking to the venue, dressed in smart shirts, jeans and jackets. They ate a £19.50 Christmas menu of home-cured salmon, roast turkey with apricot and pistachio stuffing and baked white cheesecake. After three hours, stars such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Owen Hargreaves, accompanied by junior squad members, headed to Coronation Street star Liz Dawn's pub The Old Grapes for more drinking.
Later a group including Rooney and Ferdinand drove to a lapdancing club but left without going inside after seeing photographers outside. For the night they had booked out the 30-suite Great St John Street Hotel - a converted Victorian school featured in top hotel guides - where they continued partying into the early hours.
One female guest described the party as "a horrendous cattle market" She said: "I like the United players but they were out of control. They were treating girls like pieces of meat. "We got special invites but if we ever get asked again there's no way we would go again." Another said: "A lot of the players were really letting their hair down. Waitresses were handing out pink champagne to whoever wanted it. "The players seemed to be drinking beer, vodka and whisky. Lots of drink was flowing and there were a lot of the girls there simply trying to bag a footballer for the night. It was all very sleazy. "Rooney and Rio spent most of the night on the dance floor - but Giggs stole the show when he did an Elvis Presley impersonation."
The accused player was last night facing the prospect of a police investigation as detectives prepared to take a statement from the alleged victim. Following the phone call to police she was taken to a specialist sexual assault referral centre at St Mary's Hospital, where staff trained in counselling examined her and preserved any evidence that could be used in a future prosecution.
A police insider said: "She was at the party with her boyfriend but got really drunk and at some point disappeared off with [the player]. When she came back he asked where she'd been, and she claimed she'd been raped."
Manchester United refused to comment yesterday, and the hotel management would only say they were helping police with their inquiries.
Police said later that a 19-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the case. It is the latest in a series of sex assault claims against Premiership footballers. Most of the cases have ended without a prosecution.
Two years ago Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo was arrested over claims that he raped a woman at a London hotel. The Portuguese star, who was not at Monday's party, was not charged. Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie was held for two days accused of raping a beauty queen in Rotterdam in 2005, although the case was later thrown out. The year before that, Leicester City's Paul Dickov, Keith Gillespie and Frank Sinclair were accused of assaulting three women during a training trip to the La Manga complex in Spain.
All charges were dropped. And in 2003, Titus Bramble, then of Newcastle United, and Chelsea's Carlton Cole were arrested over an alleged gang rape on a 17-year-old former convent schoolgirl at a London hotel, but no charges were brought.