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.
