A FORMER Sunderland footballer was arrested and another injured in a brawl outside a city hotel.

Long-serving centre-half Richard Ord was arrested and detained overnight in police cells following the incident, believed to involve a group of fans.

Ex-Sunderland striker Phil Gray suffered injuries which required hospital treatment.

Mr Ord, 35, was later released from custody with a caution for allegedly being drunk and disorderly. He and 37-year-old Mr Gray, team-mates in Peter Reid's Sunderland promotion team of 1995-1996, were earlier among the large number of ex-players who were guests at the 40th anniversary dinner for Sunderland AFC Supporters' Association, in the banqueting suite at the Stadium of Light.

It is understood tempers flared during the £40-a-head event after Mr Gray was berated by some of the near 400 diners for talking during a speech by Sunderland's Player of the Century, Charlie Hurley.

Words were exchanged and Mr Gray is said to have been restrained by other former players, including ex-skipper Kevin Ball, during the row, which led to security officers being called.

But violence was said to have flared later after Mr Gray and Mr Ord emerged from a taxi outside the Marriott Hotel, on Sunderland's sea- front, at Seaburn, shortly after 1am on Saturday.

It resulted in Mr Ord being arrested while Mr Gray, a former Northern Ireland international, was taken to hospital suffering bite injuries to his ear.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman confirmed last night that officers were called to an incident near the hotel reception area, at about 1am on Saturday.

"We were called to a disturbance at the Marriott Hotel, in Sunderland. A 35-year-old Durham man was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and given a formal caution."

Mr Ord, who was forced to quit the professional game through injury after leaving Sunderland for QPR, said yesterday that he believed the incident outside the hotel involved fans who had earlier been at the dinner.

He believed they were waiting when he and Mr Gray got out of the taxi.

Mr Ord said they set upon Mr Gray and so he rang the police, but the other group fled the scene before officers arrived and he was arrested.