Championship star charged with drink driving and will appear in court just days before his team’s final game

Birmingham City defender Dion Sanderson has been charged with drink-driving and will appear in court next week.

The Championship side, who are battling to avoid relegation to the third tier for the first time since 1995, were alerted to the news last week, as reported by Midlands media. 

The West Midlands club promptly decided to strip Sanderson of the captaincy before the team’s 0-0 draw against Rotherham United on Saturday.

Experienced goalkeeper John Ruddy was handed the team’s captain armband instead, although Sanderson still played the full match as his team earned a clean sheet.

The Sheffield Star has revealed that Sanderson is due to appear in court on Tuesday April 30, a few days after Birmingham’s trip to fellow strugglers Huddersfield and just days before the team’s final day clash at home to promotion-chasers Norwich City.

Sanderson is a key man for Birmingham who has made 81 league appearances in three seasons since completing a permanent move from Wolves. He is expected to feature in both of the team’s remaining matches despite his legal issues off the field.

A statement from Birmingham City football club read: "The club was informed by West Midlands Police early last week that Dion Sanderson had been charged in relation to a drink-driving offence. Sanderson reported the incident to club officials on the same day.

"As a result, disciplinary action was taken by the club and the decision was made to remove the Men’s First Team captaincy from the Blues defender for the remainder of the season.

"Sanderson has apologised to his teammates for his gross error in judgement and accepts full responsibility for his actions. The matter has been dealt with internally and no further comment will be made at this time."