Football: FA alarmed by drug allegations

Football

The Association yesterday demanded explanations from both Manchester clubs after United's Lee Sharpe and City's Nicky Summerbee were featured in lurid newspaper articles.

A teenaged girl alleged in the News of the World that Sharpe had told her he used to smoke cannabis and claimed that Summerbee discussed setting up a sex and drugs party.

Steve Double, spokesman for the FA, which recently stepped up random drug testing, said: "It is a worry to us that footballers would appear to be portrayed as having an intimate knowledge of drugs."