It’s rarely for playing reasons that a football team makes it to the front page of a newspaper.
This morning The Sun detail a brawl that ensued on Sunday evening when a young woman spilled a drink over Queen’s Park Rangers defender Rio Ferdinand.
Tuesday’s Sun front page: Prem stars’ Xmas brawl #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/yGA5egZ0KA
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 8, 2014
A witness at the pub told The Sun: “We saw a woman in her early 20s spill a drink on Rio.
“Rio got up and was clearly angry. Shaun Wright-Phillips was telling him to calm down.
“Jody Morris was also saying to take it easy. It all escalated into a load of shouting.
“Rio then left in a cab before Steven went outside.”
Just met her….#pout ! pic.twitter.com/ugQLw1ifM1 — Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) December 7, 2014
According to the newspaper, around 20 players from both QPR and Crystal Palace met for Christmas drinks at the Ship Inn pub in Wandsworth, London, where the fight broke out.
Caulker came off worst in the melee, apparently receiving a cut to his head after a fracas with the pub’s regulars.
The same witness said: “Caulker split his head open and blood was pouring down his face.
“The players piled out of the pub but the bouncers stopped us leaving.
“Joey Barton was the peacemaker. When it all kicked off, he was in the middle trying to break it up. It was horrible.”
Just last week Harry Redknapp told the media that he would not be allowing his R’s players to be having a Christmas do and we can kind of see his point now.
A police statement revealed that “No arrests were made and enquiries continue.”
A QPR spokesman told the media that “Steven Caulker was not involved in an altercation. He did suffer a cut to his head, which he received treatment for at hospital before being discharged the same evening.”
Apparently neither Caulker nor Ferdinand made an appearance at training yesterday.