Premier League Soccer Player Arrested on Alleged Child Sex Offenses

A soccer player from England's top Premier League was reportedly arrested last week due to alleged "child sex offences," the Greater Manchester Police told The Guardian.

By Lindsay Weinberg Jul 20, 2021 8:48 PMTags
Premier League Soccer Player ArrestedVisionhaus/Getty Images

A professional soccer player was arrested in England due to alleged child sex crimes last week.

Manchester-area officers arrested an unnamed man on Friday, July 16, on "suspicion of child sex offences," the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement to The Guardian. "He is on police bail pending further inquiries," the police added.

Liverpool's Everton Football Club suspended a first-team player, "pending a police investigation," the club's spokesperson said in a statement to E! News on July 19. The rep continued, "The club will continue to support the authorities with their inquiries and will not be making any further statement at this time."

The Everton FC "declined" to confirm whether the suspension was connected to the child sex case, per The Guardian. Neither police nor the club disclosed the name of the person being investigated. 

Everton FC participates in the Premier League of soccer and has won the FA Cup five times, most recently in 1995. There are 27 players listed on Everton's first team, according to the squad's website on July 20.

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Premier League Soccer Stars

E! News has reached out to the Greater Manchester Police for comment and has not heard back.

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One day after announcing a player was suspended, Everton welcomed new members to its team. Winger Andros Townsend tweeted on July 20 that he was "Excited and honoured to start a new chapter at @Everton," writing, "To the Evertonians, I can promise you that I'll give my absolute all for the badge and leave everything out there to make sure this club achieves the success it deserves." He signed on a free transfer, penning a two-year contract, according Everton's Twitter account. 

Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic also joined the Blues with an initial 12-month contract, with an option for a further year, the official account shared on July 20.

The team's next match is at Camping World Stadium in Florida on Monday, July 26.