South African police have charged a British tabloid journalist with helping a fan gain access to the England dressing room after a World Cup football match.
Sunday Mirror reporter Simon Wright was arrested in Cape Town yesterday after closed circuit television footage indicated he helped 32-year-old fan Pavlos Joseph get into the England locker room after their June 18th draw with Algeria.
A police spokesman says they have reason to believe the incident was orchestrated.
Wright interviewed Joseph at length for a post-match story in which he branded the England team a "disgrace" for their poor performance against lowly-ranked Algeria, only a few days after a disappointing 1-1 draw against the United States.
In the article, he described how Joseph eyeballed the dejected players and told them: "That was woeful and not good enough".
Joseph's surprise appearance in the changing room, which included a short conversation with former England captain David Beckham, also raised concerns about lax security at the tournament, the first to be staged in Africa.
Contrary to Wright's report on the dressing room incident, Beckham has said Joseph did not give the England players a piece of his mind. Rather, Beckham said he just said "hello" before walking out of the room.
