Taylor warns against 'trial by media'

Players’ chief Gordon Taylor has attempted to calm the growing storm surrounding Leicester by warning against a “trial by media”.

Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, urged fans and the media not to rush to judge the three Leicester players who are in jail in Spain charged with sexual assault.

Paul Dickov, Keith Gillespie and Frank Sinclair have been detained after an incident on Leicester’s trip to La Manga, which also saw five other players bailed following allegations of lesser offences.

The current bad publicity surrounding Leicester will be familiar to the likes of Leeds and Newcastle, but despite several high-profile claims against footballers, Taylor wants to highlight the good work done by some of his members.

“Football is in the eye of the media and so such allegations and incidents as this do get blown up,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“People these days worry that we do have trial by media. We should be assuming innocence until proven guilty.

“My members are expected to be role models for youngsters and from that point of view, of course it is a concern if players have gone off track.

“It would be naïve to think that we won’t have problems because footballers reflect young men ever since time began and in the future.

“The vast majority of players give up time for community work and raising funds for charity, but the media and the reading public aren’t interested in that.”