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Football

Van Persie held on rape charges


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Van Persie is considered one of the stars of the future for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.

LONDON, England -- Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie has been arrested in Rotterdam on suspicion of rape, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor said on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old was arrested on Monday night in connection with the incident which was alleged to have taken place over the weekend.

Van Persie signed a four-year contract at Highbury when he joined the club from Feyenoord last summer.

Prosecution spokeswoman Jei Chen de Graaf said that Van Persie was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred over the weekend.

"The investigation is in full motion right now," said prosecution spokeswoman Jei Chen de Graaf.

Van Persie can be held for a maximum of three days without a formal charge.

Van Persie enjoyed an excellent end to the season with the Gunners as they sealed second place in the English Premier League and beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final.

He made his international debut as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Romania in Rotterdam 10 days ago and he scored his first international goal after coming on as a substitute again in a 4-0 win over Finland in Helsinki last Wednesday.

Holland are top of European qualifying Group One and on course for next year's World Cup finals in Germany.

In October last year Van Persie made headlines when he crashed his car in London. He left the scene of the accident unharmed and the wrecked car unattended.

But Van Persie, the product of a tough neighbourhood in Rotterdam, has appeared to mature in recent months and indicated he was planning to emulate his compatriot Dennis Bergkamp by enjoying a long career at Highbury.

"I can see myself staying at Arsenal for many years," he said. "My contract has three years to run and, of course, well have to see about it."

Van Persie was due back at Arsenal for pre-season training at the start of July. A spokesman for the club refused to comment on the arrest.



Reuters contributed to this report.

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