Footballers Deny India Harassment

An Indian court has bailed two Nigerian footballers and an Indian team-mate who were arrested and charged with harassing a female flight attendant. The trio, detained in Mumbai (Bombay) on Tuesday, allegedly molested the woman on a Spicejet flight to Calcutta. They deny the charges. All play for Churchill Brothers, the top football club in the state of Goa. The owner of Churchill Brothers says he may sue the airline for allegedly defaming his club and players. The players Odafa Okolie, Kalu Nnanna and Arindam Bhattacharya were taken off a flight and arrested at Mumbai's domestic airport on Tuesday night following a complaint of harassment by a female flight attendant. Other team members and the coach also left the aircraft in protest. The players were flying from Goa via Mumbai to take part in a league match in Calcutta. The owner of the club, Churchill Alemo, told the BBC his players were innocent. He said that Mr Okolie had played for the team for the past four years, during which time there had been no complaints against him. Churchill Brothers is one of 12 teams in India's top football league, the I-League. Okolie is the league's leading scorer and Nnanna has been hailed as one of the best midfielders. Bhattacharya was declared the league's best goalkeeper last year. India's leading football clubs have increasingly attracted foreign players, especially Africans, over the past 10 years. It is thought more than 100 Africans currently play for Indian clubs.