Britain's Home office (interior) minister Lord Bassam has backed a call for an inquiry into the criminal justice system's handling of the trial of Leeds United's Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer on assault charges.
Lord Bassam was replying to a call from Liberal Democrat peer Lord Dholakia during Thursday's parliamentary debate on the Football (Disorder) (Amendment) Bill.
Lord Dholakia strongly criticised Leeds' chairman Peter Ridsdale and manager David O'Leary, and urged the English Football Association (FA) to keep both players out of the England squad.
"We need to examine those issues long and hard," Bassam said.
"He (Lord Dholakia) may be right that there needs to be some further inquiry on how that fall-out (from the trial) will be managed, the implications for the game and for clubs."
Dholakia hit out at soccer-playing "thugs" whom he called the "bin Ladens of British football", saying they should be kept away from the game both at home and abroad.
Woodgate was sentenced last week to do 100 hours of community service after being convicted of affray, while Bowyer was cleared of all charges following an attack on an Asian student, Sarfraz Najeib, in Leeds city centre in January 2000.
Lord Dholakia disputed the assertion by both judges, after a re-trial was needed, that it was not a racist attack.