Premier League stars hired 14 vice girls and a tranny for party

[Elano]

PREMIER League soccer stars were at the centre of a vice probe last night amid claims that they hired 14 hookers and a transvestite for a wild after-match party.

Arsenal striker Carlos Vela and Fulham defender Carlos Salcido celebrated with Mexico team-mates at their squad's hotel following their 1-0 friendly win over Colombia last week.

But the Mexican FA was yesterday probing newspaper and internet reports that vice girls joined the early-hours knees-up.

Vela, who scored twice in the Gunners' 6-0 thrashing of FC Braga on Wednesday, and Salcido were among three players pictured cosying up to a blonde called Gema, apparently unaware "she" was a transvestite.

The embarrassing snaps were posted on the Mexican La Aficion sports website yesterday, beside images from Gema's own site, on which she offers a menu of kinky sex services.

Players last night denied they had paid vice girls - and insisted they had innocently hired a hotel ballroom for a celebration with family and friends after abandoning a planned night out due to security fears.

Salcido, 30, said: "If there is a fine to pay, I will accept it. I offer a personal apology, but the papers say we hired 15 prostitutes including a transvestite - and that did not happen.

"We had a few drinks, but that is as far as it went."

Salcido said he had no idea the girl he posed with for pictures was a transvestite.

Vela, 21, was unavailable for comment last night.

Mexican papers El Universal and Diario de Mexico also published the claims about the private party in the city of Monterrey - which was said to have cost around £1,600.

Reports claimed the entire Mexico team was involved in the event. There is NO suggestion that any of the footballers had sex with the girls at the bash, which began at midnight.

Local newspaper Record ran pictures showing scantily-clad women leaving the city's swish Camino Real Hotel at 6am. One was clutching a Mexico shirt. FA director Nestor de la Torre launched a probe after learning players had flouted rules preventing them from taking women back to their hotel.

Record did not refer to the women as prostitutes, but other media have described them as prostitutes or sex workers.

La Aficion.com described Gema as a transvestite sex worker, but added: "It has not been shown if she was hired by one of the players, or if they simply met in the hotel at the invitation of another guest."

Decio de Maria Serrano, Secretary of the Mexican FA, said: "We will carry out an evaluation and collect information.

"Nobody is justifying (what happened), but nor should we make it bigger than it is. We are public personalities and must behave properly because there are people who will evaluate us and make judgements."