Chelsea’s Essien arrested

LONDON – Chelsea’s Ghanian midfielder Michael Essien was arrested for drunk driving in the early hours on Monday after leaving a nightclub, The Sun reported.

Citing a Chelsea insider and a witness, the tabloid said that the 24-year-old was pulled over by police in his black Range Rover, and took a breathalyser test. When the result proved positive, he was arrested.A spokeswoman for London’s Metropolitan Police declined to confirm whether Essien was arrested, as per police policy not to name individuals arrested, but told AFP that at approximately 05h10 on Monday, “officers in Southwark (south London) stopped a vehicle driving in Old Kent Road.””Officers spoke with the driver and subsequently arrested the 24-year-old man on suspicion of drink driving.He was taken into custody and later bailed to return pending further inquiries – next due on a date in July.”Essien, who was named the BBC’s African Footballer of the year in January in a poll in which 12 000 listeners voted, reportedly went clubbing in south London with his friends on Sunday night, before being arrested Monday morning.His arrest comes as Chelsea chase an unprecedented clean sweep of all three domestic trophies and the Champions League.”This could not have come at a worse time.The last thing we need are any distractions,” a Chelsea insider told The Sun.An unidentified witness, meanwhile, told the tabloid: “They’d only driven a short distance on the Old Kent Road when a police car pulled them over.”Essien’s spokeswoman was quoted as saying that the “police allowed Michael to drive home in his own car.””He is very upset and does not believe he was over the limit.Michael is a responsible person who would never drive if he thought he would be impaired by alcohol.”Nampa-AFPWhen the result proved positive, he was arrested.A spokeswoman for London’s Metropolitan Police declined to confirm whether Essien was arrested, as per police policy not to name individuals arrested, but told AFP that at approximately 05h10 on Monday, “officers in Southwark (south London) stopped a vehicle driving in Old Kent Road.””Officers spoke with the driver and subsequently arrested the 24-year-old man on suspicion of drink driving.He was taken into custody and later bailed to return pending further inquiries – next due on a date in July.”Essien, who was named the BBC’s African Footballer of the year in January in a poll in which 12 000 listeners voted, reportedly went clubbing in south London with his friends on Sunday night, before being arrested Monday morning.His arrest comes as Chelsea chase an unprecedented clean sweep of all three domestic trophies and the Champions League.”This could not have come at a worse time.The last thing we need are any distractions,” a Chelsea insider told The Sun.An unidentified witness, meanwhile, told the tabloid: “They’d only driven a short distance on the Old Kent Road when a police car pulled them over.”Essien’s spokeswoman was quoted as saying that the “police allowed Michael to drive home in his own car.””He is very upset and does not believe he was over the limit.Michael is a responsible person who would never drive if he thought he would be impaired by alcohol.”Nampa-AFP