Celtic star: 'I'm no criminal'

Buffalo Joes, where Celtic players had their night out

Celtic's Swedish defender Johan Mjallby has protested his innocence after being arrested with two other players during the club's Christmas night out in Newcastle.

Mjallby, 31, Belgian international Joos Valgaeren, 26, and Dutch winger Bobby Petta, 28, were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of robbery.

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said they had been released and ordered to return to Gateshead East police station on 24 March.

Speaking to a Swedish newspaper, Mjallby's wife said her husband had told her: "I was having a party, but I am no criminal".

Johann Mjallby: "I'm no criminal"

Reporters and photographers had been waiting outside Buffalo Joes, an American-themed bar in Gateshead, near Newcastle, where the Glasgow club was enjoying a night out.

An incident, in which a Daily Record photographer's camera was allegedly stolen, was thought to have happened as players left the bar and headed to another club.

Midfielder Neil Lennon was released after being arrested for breach of the peace.

Speaking earlier a police spokeswoman said: "The players were with the group from the club who were in Buffalo Joes on the Gateshead side of the river, as were a number of photographers.

"There was an incident of some sort. The players left the premises, then one of the photographers reported the theft of his camera to police."

'Back off'

The camera had since been returned to its owner.

Following the incident, the trade union representing Scotland's footballers said it was time for newspapers to "back off" and stop photographing their every move.

Fraser Wishart of the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association said: "I would just ask that the newspapers think about perhaps giving these players a break.

"Football players are allowed to let their hair down once or twice without having their private life plastered all over the newspapers."

Sting denied

Peter Cox, editor of the Daily Record, said the paper's photographer merely wanted "a happy picture" of the club's night out.

He said his reporters claimed the Celtic players were fighting with bouncers and denied reports that the footballers were the victims of a "sting operation".

"That is just not so," Mr Cox told BBC Scotland.

"I can only repeat from the statement that we turned up looking for a happy picture, only to find that drunken Celtic players were involved in a disgraceful brawl outside a nightclub with bouncers."