London, Sept 30: Police said yesterday they were investigating allegations by a 17-year-old girl that she was gang raped by a group of Premier League soccer players in London over the weekend.
The alleged assault was being investigated by the Sex Crimes Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service.
"We can confirm that the Metropolitan Police Service have received an allegation of rape from a 17-year-old female," a spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity. "At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further."
The top-selling tabloid newspaper The Sun said eight players were involved in the incident at a luxury west London hotel.
The Sun said the girl consented to sex with one player but seven others - all from a different club - joined in and assaulted her. The report was picked up by other newspapers and television networks.



The Sun said it could not identify the players for legal reasons. It said the group includes "at least one international and several other household names."



Three Premier league matches were played in London over the weekend: Arsenal vs Newcastle on Friday night, Chelsea vs Aston Villa on Saturday, and Charlton vs Liverpool on Sunday.


Bureau Report