The Everton footballer, Danny Cadamarteri, may face charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice after he admitted lying about assaulting a young woman, police said last night.
The 21-year-old striker was yesterday found guilty of punching Ms Joeline Joel in the face during a late-night fracas in Liverpool city centre last October.
Ms Joel (25) said Cadamarteri and two friends had followed her and a female companion shouting obscenities and demanding they perform a sex act before attacking her. She suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone and claims to have been affected by impaired vision and numbness in the face.
A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Cadamarteri guilty after hearing how he initially lied to police about being involved in any incident on the night in question. The former England under-21 player asked the two friends he was with during the assault, Mr Peter Fletcher and Mr Denny Patterson, to lie on his behalf.
Ten months later he admitted striking Ms Joel but claimed he was trying to push her away after she punched his friend and was about to lash out at him.
The admission came after he received a statement from an independent witness, Mr Paul Bell, who identified Cadamarteri at the scene but said he was acting in self-defence. Judge David Lynch adjourned sentencing Cadamarteri for one week but said he would not face a custodial sentence as the assault was not unprovoked.
But Cadamarteri may face charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice for lying to the police and courts for so long.
Detective Chief Inspector John Colligan, of Merseyside Police, said: "We will be making inquiries to ascertain if there are any further offences."
Cadamarteri scored five goals in his first six games for Everton and became a fans' favourite by scoring against Liverpool in 1997.
But he has not enjoyed long spells in the first team and was yesterday said to be "very concerned" about his future. Speaking outside court, his solicitor, Mr Paolo Martini, said: "Mr Cadamarteri is obviously very disappointed with the verdict but respects the court's decision.