Gianfranco Zola has called for an end to the hoo-ha over the revelations concerning four of his Chelsea team-mates and their drunken antics.

Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eidur Gudjohnsen and John Terry - along with Leicester's former Blue Frank Sinclair - made front page headlines on Sunday after a drinking session got out of control in front of a number of American tourists in a hotel near Heathrow Airport just hours after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
The quartet have since been disciplined by Chelsea and fined £130,000 between them, as well as making a public apology for their behaviour.

But now, as Chelsea prepare for their UEFA Cup second leg against Levski Sofia in Bulgaria, Italian star Zola has pleaded for an end to the witch-hunt.

'It is in the past now," he said.

"They realise what they have done and I am sure they did not mean to cause such offence.

"Nobody is perfect.

I have made mistakes in my time, especially when I was younger, but luckily there was nobody there to take a picture of me.

"These young men realise what they have done and so it is not necessary to keep bringing it up.

They are very sorry and did not mean to cause offence."