FA to investigate claim that four England players took cocaine

The Football Association said yesterday it would investigate allegations made in a tabloid newspaper that up to four present or former England players have taken cocaine.

The Sun claimed yesterday that five Premiership stars, four of them with international experience, had used the class A drug.

The names of the players, who were not publicly identified, were given to the newspaper by Leon Jeanne, 22, a former Queens Park Rangers winger whose career was ruined by cocaine. They were passed to UK Sport, the government agency that promotes sporting excellence, which informed the FA.

Adrian Bevington, a spokesman for the FA, said it would give "full consideration" to the allegations. He added: "We must make clear at this stage that these are allegations made by one individual to a national newspaper."