Premier League star paying 15,000 pound 'protection money' to extortion gang

London, Apr 18(ANI): A South London gang member has claimed that a Premier League star is making regular 15,000 pound 'protection money payments' to their gang.

The mobster said that the gang looked after the London-based player, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in his early career.

"From young we kept you out of trouble, we kept you safe and now it's payback time. If the payments stop, the football stops. He will get hurt," The Daily Star quoted the gangster, as saying.

"People higher than me have ordered this person to pay a certain amount of money every couple of months - 15,000 pounds every two to three months. That might not seem a lot for a Premiership footballer, but it's a lot of money," he added.

When asked what would happen if the player hired his own security, he said: "Fine. But it won't work. We know where your family live, we know where your friends live. The payments ain't gonna stop."

It is not the first time a top star has been targeted by extortion gangs. Earlier, Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard was threatened with being gunned down by a gang if he did not pay protection money. (ANI)