Four in court over QPR 'attack'

Gianni Paladini bought his stake in the club last year

Four men have appeared in court over an alleged attack on a football club director before a Championship match.

Armed police were called to Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road ground on Saturday after Gianni Paladini said he was threatened at gunpoint.

Michael Reynolds, 44, David Morris, 49, David Davenport, 37, and Andrew Baker, 39, whose addresses cannot be revealed, faced blackmail and firearm charges.

They were remanded in custody by a judge at West London Magistrates Court.

Seven other men arrested on Saturday have been released on police bail.

High profile transfers

Mr Paladini was taken to Hammersmith police station after the incident, which he said happened as he made his way to a meeting before his team's 2-1 win over Sheffield United.

Mr Paladini, a former football agent who represented ex-Middlesbrough striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, bought his stake in the club last May.

He is the public face of a Monaco-based group of investors who own a significant proportion of the club.

The Italian handed in his football agent's licence last year to pursue his dream of buying into an English football club.

After becoming an agent in 1980 he was involved in dozens of high profile transfers over two decades. He lives in London with his English wife, Olga, and his business portfolio includes several nightclubs.