Lincoln’s Tom Hopper opens up on Leicester sacking after Thai sex orgy
Lincoln City’s Tom Hopper will take part in one of the biggest games of his life on Thursday night when the Imps host Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
But the striker’s career was almost over before it had even begun when he was one of three Leicester players sacked after a filmed racist sex orgy with three Thai prostitutes in 2015.
Hopper, Adam Smith and James Pearson – the son of then manager Nigel – were sent home in disgrace from an end-of-season tour to Bangkok when the footage was obtained by a Sunday tabloid.
In the video, the trio committed sex acts and one of the players could be heard calling a woman a ‘slit eye’ while the others laughed.
Tom Hopper, now at Lincoln City, was one of three Leicester players sacked following their involvement in a filmed sex orgy with Thai prostitutes back in 2015
Hopper was 21 when he was sent home in disgrace from Leicester’s tour of Thailand in 2015
Hopper was 21 at the time and found himself cast out from a Premier League club before being picked up by League One Scunthorpe.
He has since carved out a career in the middle reaches of the EFL, first with the Iron, then Southend and now Lincoln, who have a plum televised tie against the Premier League champions on Thursday night.
Hopper told The Sun: ‘I had to grow up quickly. It was my first realisation of life and that your career can change for the worst in an instant.
‘I’m not going to kid anyone by saying it was easy to cope with the fallout of what happened. It definitely took time for me to get going again.
‘It was a case of keeping a low profile, being humble and focusing on football.
‘The whole thing gave me a real perspective in life and I’ve matured as a result.’
Hopper celebrates scoring in Lincoln’s win over Milton Keynes Dons in League One last week
Lincoln are preparing to welcome Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool to Sincil Bank on Thursday night
The published footage of Hopper and his team-mates cavorting naked in a Bangkok hotel room proved highly embarrassing for Leicester, whose Thai owners Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt had paid for the goodwill trip.
The sex tape was recorded on a mobile phone and sent to friends back home before being leaked to the press.
Hopper admitted he has sympathy for Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden, who were sent home from England duty earlier this month for breaching Covid-19 protocols by inviting two girls into a hotel in Iceland.
Hopper (right) and his Lincoln team-mates will be hoping for a famous result against Liverpool
He said: ‘The spotlight is on footballers. We are mad about the sport as a nation so it comes with the territory.
‘We must accept mistakes we make will be highlighted because we’re supposed to be role models.
‘They’re young and will learn from their errors. It’ll help them in the future.’
