Angry Savage will appeal against £50,000 fine for spending a penny

Robbie Savage has called in the Professional Footballers' Association to appeal against Leicester City's decision to fine him the maximum £50,000 for using referee Graham Poll's lavatory at a match at the weekend.

Leicester's captain and player of the year fears the incident could be used by the relegated club as an excuse to get rid of him. Everton and Middlesbrough are interested in signing the Welsh international, who until now has been happy to pledge his future to the Foxes.

The toilet incident was included in Poll's report following Leicester's match against Aston Villa on Saturday. Savage said he needed to use the referee's toilet urgently because of the antibiotics he was taking for a gashed ankle. The lavatory in the home dressing room was occupied.

The referee claimed that Savage left the toilet door open, made a rude remark, did not wash his hands and wiped them on the blazer of the referees' assessor. Savage, who admits using the toilet but denies the other allegations, is fuming over Leicester's response, which includes a fine of two weeks' wages and a threat of a further £50,000 penalty if he takes his side of the story to the newspapers.

A source close to Savage said: "Robbie thinks, if you pardon the pun, that this whole affair stinks. It is being used against him. Leicester know the circumstances. He was desperate for the toilet after the warm-up and had to go somewhere fast.

"Poll was shocked when Robbie went into his room, but they had a laugh about it. Robbie did leave the toilet door open slightly and Poll made a crack about it, but it was man-to-man and not disrespectful.

"The ref told him to wash his hands, but Robbie was in a rush to get out of there. He admits he didn't flush the toilet, but he was in a hurry. Poll was even joking during the game and when Robbie mis-hit a pass the ref referred to what he had done in the toilet earlier.

"This whole thing would have gone away if it hadn't been for the fuss at the end when George Boateng threw Paul Dickov's boot away and everyone got involved with the ref.

"Robbie has suffered, but it's got out of hand since then. The club are not backing him at all and he thinks they have another agenda."

Savage will not ask Leicester for a transfer and has spoken to team-mates and ground staff who are prepared to back up his claim that Poll treated the "improper behaviour" as a laugh.

The Football Association is to hold its own investigation into the incident.