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Two teenage Premier League footballers have been arrested and questioned over an alleged sexual assault that allegedly occurred on Friday, April 19.
According to reports out of England, the two unnamed 19-year-old Premier League players play for the same club and have since been released on bail. The Daily Mail reports that the arrests were made by detectives who “raided the team’s stadium.”
“A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault and aiding and abetting a rape. A second 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of rape. Both men have since been released on police bail,” a police spokesperson said in an official statement.
While the two players have yet to be identified, one Premier League club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, has already put out a statement to confirm the players who were arrested are not members of their club.
“A newspaper article published yesterday has triggered inappropriate online speculation over the identities of two individuals reportedly under police investigation. Whilst we would not typically comment on ongoing police matters, in order to protect the welfare of our young players, we feel it is necessary to confirm that the allegations do not relate to anyone at Wolves,” the club’s statement from Wednesday, April 24 reads.
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 24, 2024
At this time, there are five clubs in the Premier League with at least two 19-year-olds as members of its senior squad: Wolves (who have denied involvement), Liverpool, Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Burnley.
After a handful of sexual assault allegations have been made against professional footballers in recent years — Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Dani Alves (Barcelona, PSG), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United), Thomas Partey (Arsenal) and Gylfi Sigurðsson (Everton), to name a few — all Premier League players now receive mandatory sexual consent training as required by the league.