Three players for
English football club Leicester City, including the son of the club's manager,
have been sacked after video surfaced of them apparently participating in a
racist orgy on the team's recent Thai tour.
The players -- Tom
Hopper, Adam Smith and James Pearson, son of team manager Nigel Pearson --
apologized and were sent home early from the tour after snippets of the video
were published by UK newspaper the Sunday Mirror.
The video showed the
three players, naked, in what was apparently a hotel room, making racist and
derogatory remarks to the women.
The club released a statement announcing the sackings on its website Wednesday.
"Leicester City Football Club has notified Tom Hopper, Adam Smith and
James Pearson that their contracts with the club have been terminated," it
said.
"Leicester City
Football Club is acutely aware of its position, and that of its players, as a
representative of the city of Leicester, the Premier League, the Football
Association and the Club's supporters," the statement continued.
"It is committed
to promoting a positive message of community and family values and equality,
and to upholding the standards expected of a Club with its history, tradition
and aspirations."
One of the women was
called a "slit eye" on the tape, and one of the players told a woman
she was "an absolute one out of 10."
The Sunday Mirror
reported that the footage was shared by at least one of the players with
friends back in the United Kingdom.
The scandal was
especially sensitive to Leicester City, as the club has Thai owners and has
been sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
CNN
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