Five members of Northern Ireland's football squad including captain Michael Hughes were held after an incident in a nightclub in Prague, a Czech police spokesman said today.
One of the five is suspected of having caused head injuries to a bouncer in the early hours of this morning when they came to pay, after spending the night in the centre of the Czech capital, he said.
The five concerned are goalkeeping coach Tommy Wright, captain Michael Hughes, winger Peter Kennedy and strikers Glenn Ferguson and David Healy, a spokesman for the British Foreign Office confirmed.
"It was involving a bouncer at a nightclub in the early hours of this morning. What transpired has not been sorted out," said the spokesman, adding he had no information about a waitress being involved, nor of any eye injury.
"They will be making a further press statement when they arrive at Heathrow this afternoon," he said.
In Prague the police spokesman said the incident happened at 8.30 a.m. (6.30 a.m. Irish time) when the bill was being paid at the ‘Atlas’ nightclub in downtown Prague.
He confirmed that the injured person was a bouncer, after earlier saying a waitress had been hurt.
Czech investigators were questioning witnesses before deciding whether to press formal charges.
"It is too early to say how what time they will leave Prague," he said.
In London the Foreign Office spokesman said: "I've not been told of any charges."
The squad was in Prague after the Northern Ireland team lost 3-1 against the Czech Republic yesterday in the northern town of Teplice in a Group Three qualifier for the 2002 World Cup.
In theory the defeat dashes any hope of their qualifying for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea next year.
All five, who were questioned at the team hotel before being taken into custody, have had samples of their blood tested for levels of alcohol.