Adams offered to quit

Micky Adams revealed today that he had offered his resignation to the Leicester City board because of the sex scandal in Spain engulfing the club.

Speaking for the first time since three first team players were detained after being charged with "sexual aggression" towards three German women, Adams said he had a moral obligation to offer to quit. But the Leicester board told him he should stay.

Adams said: "I'm not quitting. I owe it to the fans to see this through, but I felt I had a moral obligation to offer my resignation." He said he had not put a curfew on the players and they had been guilty of being unprofessional in drinking until the early hours of the morning.

Adams made it clear that the players at the centre of the scandal rocking the club had "let themselves down" but were innocent until proven guilty.

Adams said some of the squad were guilty of excessive drinking.

He said: "A minority of players have let themselves down on the trip for drinking to a certain amount of excess until the early hours of the morning. They are innocent (of other charges) until proven guilty."

But he added: "They are guilty of being unprofessional 24 hours before a training session."

The Leicester manager was clearly frustrated with himself that he did not impose stricter rules on his squad during the midseason training trip where the Midlands club were hoping to find a way of improving their form in the middle of a relegation battle.

He said: "I did not put a curfew on the players but I can't control 21 players for 24 hours a day. I told them of their responsibilities while they were out there."

Lawyers in Spain were today trying to get Paul Dickov, Keith Gillespie and Frank Sinclair released on bail. But a ruling is not expected by the Spanish legal authorities until later this week at the earliest and they will spend tonight in prison, their third in a row.

Speaking at a packed news conference at Leicester's Walkers Stadium, Adams said he still had faith in his players but he was annoyed that the trip had been spoilt because it was arranged to help integrate a few new players into the squad.

But he said: "I know that some of the players who have been charged were not there. We have witnesses and statements to prove that they were not there."

Adams revealed today he had offered his resignation to the Leicester board last week because of the scandal but it was refused.