Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was charged with assault and affray following a brawl outside a Merseyside nightclub that left a man needing hospital treatment for facial injuries, police said. "Steven Gerrard has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray," the duty inspector for Merseyside Police said.The 28-year-old soccer player was released on bail with two other men to appear in court on Jan. 23 following their arrest yesterday in the town of Southport, northwest England, said a Merseyside police spokesman who declined to be identified in line with regulation.
Gerrard was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray, the spokesman said. Three other men, who were arrested with Gerrard at 2:30 a.m. yesterday morning, were released without charge pending further inquiries, he added.
Calls to the London offices of WMG Management, which represents Gerrard, went unanswered. Liverpool yesterday declined to comment on Gerrard’s arrest. Liverpool is co-owned by George Gillett, Jr., who also owns the NHL's Canadiens.
Midfielder Gerrard, who has played 70 matches for England, had been out celebrating following Liverpool’s 5-1 victory at Newcastle two days ago, in which he scored twice.
Liverpool leads England’s Premier League by three points and faces Preston North End on Jan. 3 in the third round of the F.A. Cup.
