Chelsea stars fined for binge

Lampard: Fined two weeks' wages

Four top Chelsea players have been fined by their club after a drinking binge in a hotel packed with American tourists grieving over the US terror attacks.

The incident happened just 24 hours after the attacks and included stripping, swearing and vomiting at the hotel near Heathrow airport, which was full with Americans stranded by flight cancellations, according to the News of the World.

The group included England Under 21 stars Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, John Terry and former Chelsea defender Frank Sinclair.

They were joined by Icelandic International Eidur Gudjohnsen, 23.

Terry and Lampard at the start of the season

Chelsea's football game that night against Bulgarian team Levski Sofia had just been called off as a mark of respect for victims of the attacks when the players went on the five-hour binge.

Antonio Parisini, a manager at Heathrow's Posthouse hotel, said: "They were causing lots of noise and knocking things over in the bar and upsetting everyone. They were really drunk."

The players later moved on to the nearby Airport Bowl bowling alley, where they shocked onlookers by diving down the lanes head first.

Chelsea managing director Colin Hutchinson condemned the players' behaviour as "totally out of order" and said they had each been fined two weeks' wages by the club.

The money - more than £100,000 - will be donated to the fund helping families of the victims of the America disaster.

Hutchinson also stressed that none of the four Chelsea players had intended to insult or abuse any member of the public, least of all Americans affected by the events in their homeland.

He said: "Obviously we are condemning their behaviour by fining them. We have acted very quickly in this matter as we were only told about it on Friday night.

Jody Morris was amongst the troublemakers

"Claudio Ranieri and myself met the players first thing Saturday morning.

"Normally we would not tackle disciplinary matters on the day before an important game, but because of the seriousness of the matter, we have done so.

"In the meeting with the players, we reminded them again of their responsibilities.

"They were categorical that in no way had they intended to insult any individuals and they said that they certainly didn't abuse anyone.

"They were loud between themselves but they, like everyone at the club, have been as hurt and moved by what has happened in the United States as anyone else.

"Their behaviour was totally out of order but there is no way that the players went out to insult or abuse anyone."