James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Hamza Choudhury and Ayoze Pérez did not make a good turn at Leicester City. The foursome was missing from the selection for the away game against West Ham United (3-2 defeat) on Sunday and their absence appears to be related to a violation of the applicable corona rules in England. They attended a party held in Pérez’s house.
After the game, coach Brendan Rodgers did not want to confirm the names of the players involved, but he showed his disappointment. “It’s a decision I made. Something happened last week that doesn’t match our standards,” said Rodgers, when asked about the absence of Maddison, Choudhury and Pérez. Barnes’s absence was less noticeable, as he is injured. “All the guys you mention are good guys, but we have a standard that must be met on and off the field.”
Rodgers confirms: ‘Players punished for not complying with corona rules’
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It is now clear that the four players were present at a party in Pérez’s house, with reportedly eighteen other people. Rodgers was told of the party, an anonymous source said in a conversation with The Sun. He sent them a message urging the players to end the party, but instead the players hid in the dark before heading to Choudhury’s house via taxis and continuing the party there. “Everyone had a good night, until the players said to each other, ‘Look at your phone’. They got a message from Brendan.”
“He wrote that he knew what they were doing and wanted the party to end immediately. They then told everyone to hide and turned off the lights so it looked like no one was home,” the source is quoted as saying . According to neighbors, however, several sports cars were parked in the street from 9 p.m. and music was playing from Pérez’s apartment. Guests had to put their phones in a sealed pouch so that no photos or videos could be taken. “Most of the guests were young women,” the source said. “They drank and laughed together and continued the party at Hamza’s house.”
One of Pérez’s neighbors is also mentioned. “I saw colored lights in Ayoze’s house. He had lowered his blinds, which he usually doesn’t,” said the person. When the police arrived, the lights were off and so it was decided not to take any action. However, according to local residents, groups got into taxis from Pérez’s house; that would have happened around 1 a.m. “We are fans of Leicester, but this is unacceptable. Why do they think they can make anything just because they are rich footballers?” Leicester has announced in a brief statement that ‘those involved’ have apologized and that the matter will be handled internally.