Beardsley saga twist as club send U23 minder

NEWCASTLE UNITED will send a safeguarding officer to Hong Kong after Sportsmail revealed that Peter Beardsley is to play in the same tournament as the Under 23 players he is accused of using racial and abusive language towards. However, we can also reveal that organisers of next month’s Soccer Sevens are likely to block Beardsley’s involvement if the FA charges against him are proven or if the case is still to be heard. Sportsmail understand there is surprise among those who put on the prestigious Hong Kong tournament that Viv Anderson, the first black footballer to play for England, has invited his former team-mate to be part of his PlayOn masters team. There is concern that Beardsley’s presence will cause issues and we understand contingency plans are now in place to move the PlayOn masters team to a different hotel from the Park Lane Hong Kong where Newcastle and all other academy teams will be staying. Sources close to the Hong Kong Football Club, who organise and host the event, say they are monitoring the situation. They do not want to pre-judge Beardsley’s case and hope there is an outcome before their tournament kicks off on May 17. But Beardsley’s planned involvement has alarmed staff at Newcastle and they have been forced to assign a welfare officer to the trip to ease the concerns of players and parents. Beardsley’s contract was terminated by the Magpies last month after a 14-month investigation into claims of racism and bullying. He was later charged by the FA and has until a week on Friday to respond, when it is expected he will deny the allegations.