West Ham striker Javier Hernandez has revealed a controversial pre-World Cup party where players allegedly had a 24-hour lock-in with prostitutes was his birthday bash.
The frontman admitted he and his team-mates would not repeat the celebration as he made the first public statement by any of the Mexico squad about the party.
But the 30-year-old angrily denied claims escorts had attended the event at a house in an upmarket Mexico City neighbourhood after the recent 1-0 friendly win against Scotland.
He said in a Facebook Live stream: 'There was a get-together for my birthday. We had been given a day off and I invited the players.
'Everyone went apart from the goalkeeper Jesus Corona.
'We were there and afterwards more guests arrived and everyone went at the time they wanted.
'There were no escorts and what has been said shows a lack of respect for all the guests.
'We didn't do anything bad, it was in our free time, but we wouldn't do it again.'
Eight members of the Mexico team including LA Galaxy star Giovanni dos Santos and his brother Jonathan were 'named and shamed' by Mexican magazine TV Notaslast week over the June 2 party at a house in Las Lomas de Chapultepec.
The magazine, referring to the Mexican squad by their nickname El Tri, claimed the stars celebrated with a no-holds-barred party lasting more than a day in a report with photos of some of the women who attended titled: 'Thirty VIP escorts gave the TRI their real World Cup send-off with a 24-hour lock-in.'
The magazine, whose report was widely echoed by Mexican and south American media, quoted a source as saying: 'They arrived at the house in Las Lomas around 10.30pm on Saturday and had a great time with music, drinks, games and women.
'They had the night off, without their wives and girlfriends.'
Hernandez was never mentioned in the reports about the party.
Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio said the comments by Hernandez were important.
He said: 'I think clarifying the situation has helped the group a lot.'
-Dailymail