THE Football Association promised yesterday to get to the bottom of allegations that the England soccer team caused £5,000 sterling worth of damage to a plane that brought them home from a tour of the Far East.
But the FA said it was very concerned by "some exaggerated media comments" about the incident and made it clear there would be no changes to the 22 man England squad for June's European soccer championship.
Cathay Pacific complained to both the police and the FA hours after the Boeing 747 carrying the England team landed at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday after a 13 hour flight from Hong Kong.
The players were reported to have been celebrating midfielder Paul Gascoigne's 29th birthday.
The FA said the England coach, Terry Venables, would investigate exactly who was responsible for alleged damage to two television screens and a table on the upper deck of the jet when the squad reassembles next week.
Airport staff told the Sun newspaper that the plane was strewn with beer cans and other debris, while a photographer for London's, Evening Standard said Gascoigne started shouting abuse and swearing when he was photographed on arrival at Heathrow.
The FA said that as far as it was aware the flight from Hong Kong passed without incident for most of the passengers, including those in the England party.
"It is worth pointing out that several passengers on the flight commented to the England coach on the good behaviour of the players," the FA said.
The incident is an acute embarrassment for the FA, which has been working with police on ways of containing hooliganism at next month's tournament.