Lee Bowyer (born January 3, 1977 in Newham, London) is a
professional football player who currently plays for English
Premiership side Newcastle United F.C.
Bowyer signed for Charlton Athletic at the age of 17, before
transfering to Leeds United in 1996 for £2.8m - a record for a
British teenager. Initially, Bowyer was kept out of the first
team by Alf Inge Haaland and David Hopkin, however, he
supplanted Hopkin in the 1998/1999 season, and went on to make
257 appearances for the club, scoring 62 goals.
After an incident in a Middlesbrough nightclub, Bowyer was
accused of involvement in the racist assault of the student
Safraz Najeib. Bowyer was found not guilty of affray and
grievous bodily harm with intent, but teammate Jonathan Woodgate
was found guilty of affray and ordered to serve 100 hours'
community service.
Bowyer was fined four weeks wages by Leeds, for breaching the
club's code of conduct for being under the influence of alcohol
on the night of the attack. Bowyer refused to accept this
decision, and was placed on the transfer list by Leeds, who were
running into financial difficulties.
Bowyer signed for West Ham United on a short contract for a
nominal fee, in January 2003. West Ham were relegated at the end
of this season, and Bowyer joined Newcastle United on a free
transfer.
In the early stages of the 1999/2000 season, a tackle by Bowyer
on the Spurs midfielder Stephen Clemence prompted a brawl
between Leeds and Tottenham players. Each club was fined
£150,000 by the F.A. for their part in the incident. That
season, Bowyer was also given a one-match ban and a £4,000 fine
by the FA for becoming the first Premiership player to amass 14
yellow cards.
On April 2, 2005, Bowyer was in the media spotlight again after
an astonishing on-pitch brawl with fellow teammate Kieron Dyer
in Newcastle United's Premiership match with Aston Villa. This
resulted in a red card for that particular game plus a further
three game ban, Dyer received the same punishment. Bowyer was
fined six weeks wages by the club, thought to be in the region
of £200,000. |
