Three Leicester City players accused of attacking three women during a training break in Spain have had all charges against them dropped.

Lawyers for Paul Dickov, Frank Sinclair and Keith Gillespie successfully applied for them to be cleared on Thursday morning, club chief executive Tim Davies said.

Prosecution lawyers now have a short time period in which they can apply to appeal against the decision.

Davies said: "All charges have been dropped against all the players."

Judge Jacinto Areste granted the application at a court hearing in Cartagena, southern Spain, on Thursday morning.

Davies said there was now a period, thought to be around two or three days, in which an appeal could be made.

He said he had not spoken to the players yet but had been in contact via text messages.

"They are obviously relieved that their innocence has been proved."

Davies said they would not have to return to Spain to be formally cleared of the charges.

In a statement, Leicester City said: "The club welcomes the news that all criminal charges have been withdrawn.

"We are pleased that what has been a very difficult time for a large number of players and their families is now at an end.

"Our players have consistently pleaded their innocence of all the charges made against them and they are delighted that their innocence has now been recognised by the Spanish authorities.

"As a club, we have consistently maintained our total faith in the Spanish judicial system and welcome the news that justice has been seen to be done."

Davies said he had received no indication as to whether there would be an appeal against the judge's decision.

He made it clear that the five other players who had been provisionally released following the alleged incident in March were also cleared.

Lawyers for the players and for the alleged victims were not immediately available for comment.

Thursday's legal move follows the results of forensic tests earlier in the week which showed no link between them and their accusers.

Revelations by the News of the World that the women had offered an undercover reporter a night of passion in exchange for money also formed part of the bid.

Dickov, 31, a Scottish international, Gillespie, 29, a Northern Ireland player, and Sinclair, 32, have always insisted they were innocent.

They were on a training break at La Manga with other members of the team when the allegations were made in March.

After being arrested, they were detained at the Sangonera jail near Murcia.

All three were released on bail of nearly £200,000 following a 15-hour court session in Cartagena.

The hearing included a dramatic face-to-face meeting or "careo" between one of the players and one of the women, staged to allow the judge to assess the validity of their statements.

Thursday's move also leaves Matt Elliott, Lilian Nalis, James Scowcroft, Nikos Dabizas and Danny Coyne in the clear.

They had been on bail following the initial allegations, with Scowcroft ordered to pay 20,000 euros (£13,300) bail and attend a Spanish consulate twice a month.

A ninth player, Steffen Freund, had already been released without charge.

The arrests related to allegations of a drunken attack on three women at the five-star Hyatt Regency Hotel in La Manga, southern Spain.

Part of the new evidence looked at by the judge related to suggestions that the alleged victims, who live in Germany, were prostitutes, a claim they have denied.

Earlier this month the News of the World reported that one of the women, Ruth Lorenco, 36, offered an undercover reporter sex with her and the two other women - Beatrice Wanjiro, 31, and Martha Wilbert, 37 - in return for £700.

Gillespie said later in a statement: "I am delighted that we have all been totally vindicated in this matter.

"Hopefully, all our lives can now get back to normal as quickly as possible and we can concentrate single-mindedly on the football."