Players set for clash

The footballers at the centre of the Leicester City sex case are set for a dramatic courtroom showdown with their accusers.

The face-to-face confrontation between the players and the three women who are alleging rape and sexual assault is expected tomorrow.

The development comes after Spanish officials confirmed that the judge in charge of the case had ordered a new round of court appearances.

Frank Sinclair, 33, Keith Gillespie, 29, and Paul Dickov, 32, have been held in jail since their arrest last Wednesday.

Prosecuting lawyer Encarnacion Gomez said her clients - named only as Beatriz, Marta and Ruth and aged between 32 and 38 - are "now in hiding" to protect them from media attention.

Ms Gomez said the players, who are being held at Murcia prison in south-eastern Spain, took part in the sex attack at a hotel in La Manga, just outside Cartagena. She said that the women, from Kenya and Malawi and living in Germany, were determined to fight their case.

Asked if rape was involved she said: "Yes." She added: "Two of them held one of the women down and the other ..."

However, lawyers acting for the footballers are said to be optimistic that the three will be cleared of any wrongdoing. They spoke amid claims that CCTV footage taken from the La Manga resort showed the three women laughing and joking two days after the alleged attack.

Representatives for the players want to use the video footage as evidence to guarantee their release from prison - where they are said to be "bearing up very well".

Judge Areste, in charge of the case, has a reputation as a nononsense man who "takes his time" to investigate cases. A local TV correspondent said: "This judge will not be rushed into any decision. It could take him two or three days or much longer to come to a decision." Tim Davies, chief executive of Leicester City, said: "I get a sense that the lawyers are more optimistic at present and the timescale for this would be some resolution at some stage this week."

Details are emerging of daily life in prison for the footballers. They each have an allowance of £40 a week. That is to buy tobacco, coffee and tea as well as other items such as toiletries.

The most prized possession in jail is a TV set but the cost of hiring one for their cell will have to come out of their spending allowance.