England stars light up nightclub

The Football Association official was quite clear about it. The England World Cup squad were in Dubai for a private holiday and there would only be light training, if any. But did that mean the players would be spending nights out clubbing, he was asked. "I think that's extremely unlikely," he said.

That official would have been as surprised as anyone, then, to see the core of the England team living it up in a nightclub until the small hours. Seven players took over the Planetarium club's VIP suite and did not leave until their chauffeur-driven Jaguars took them back to their hotel when the club closed at 3am today.

Sol Campbell, Emile Heskey, Rio Ferdinand, Nicky Butt, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge and Owen Hargreaves started the evening off at Carter's, a Pyramids-themed bar in the famed Wafi City shopping complex.

That, however, only stayed open until 1am. Then they were spirited via a back passage into Planetarium, where they were able to enjoy the rest of the night listening to 1970s hits.

An eighth player, Robbie Fowler, was seen in Carter's but disappeared by the time they got to Planetarium.

The Dubai clubbers were clearly thrilled to have England's football heroes among them: it is not every night one sees Sol Campbell dancing to I Will Survive. A clutch of giggling young girls emerged from the club proudly bearing napkins with the players' autographs.