A former England and Premier League footballer has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape.
The suspect, who played for England in the 2010s, was detained at Stansted Airport, according to The Sun.
He cannot be named for legal reasons.
“A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and has been bailed to a date in late February 2026 while we continue our enquiries,” said an Essex Police spokesperson.
The player was said to have been stopped at a passport control point by Border Force guards before he could board a flight on Sunday.
His details showed he was wanted by police over a non-recent allegation of attempted rape, according to The Sun.
In the UK, the police rarely release or confirm the name of someone arrested.
This approach was brought in following the Leveson Inquiry into the British media in 2012, which said that arrested suspects should not be named “save in exceptional and clearly identified circumstances”. Typically, a name is released if a suspect is charged.
