By Rob Stewart (Filed: 04/04/2005)
Newcastle team-mates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer face the risk of criminal prosecution following their mid-pitch fight, a shameful episode that the club's chairman, Freddy Shepherd, said yesterday was responsible for the worst day of his chairmanship.
Officers from Northumbria Police will today begin preliminary investigations into the bust-up between the two players, who can already look forward to financial sanctions from their paymasters at St James' Park as well as Football Association suspensions.
Bowyer, 28, has accepted the blame for the fracas that erupted in the 81st minute of Saturday's Premiership defeat to Aston Villa and he is expected to be fined a month's wages, while Dyer, 26, who was said to be "distraught", will probably be docked a week's wages.
The pair have been summoned to a meeting with Shepherd and manager Graeme Souness at St James' Park at 9 am today and they could come into contact with detectives at the city-centre stadium.
"Our officers will be liasing with the football club throughout the week to discuss the matter further and if they raise any issues we will review the situation," Northumbria Police communications supervisor Martin Murray said. "But at this moment no one has come forward to make an official complaint as regards the incident, that is any of the parties involved on the pitch or any third parties, and that could mean fans or witnesses."
Telegraph