Man Utd sees red over Veron story
Owen Gibson
Monday May 20, 2002
Sir Alex Ferguson
Manchester United is threatening the Sunday Mirror with legal action over a story alleging that £28m Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron had walked out on the club.
The story was the catalyst for United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's rant at reporters at a packed press conference the following Monday, when he accused them of being a "disgrace to journalism" and ordered them from the club's training ground.
He was angered by a story in the Sunday Mirror which alleged that Veron had played his last game for Manchester United and was on his way out of the club. A Manchester United spokesman confirmed that a letter had been sent to Trinity Mirror by the club's solicitors.
The Argentine international - a record signing for a British club when he arrived last summer - has had a mixed season at Old Trafford, with his arrival being blamed by some commentators on United's failure to win anything this season.
The Sunday Mirror article was one of several that weekend that suggested Veron might be on his way back to Italy, but it went further than most of its rivals in suggesting he didn't get on with his team mates.
"He's a fecking great player. You are fecking idiots," Ferguson is said to have told reporters at a press conference the day after the article came out.
A spokesman for Trinity Mirror confirmed that a complaint had been received and was being pursued through the normal channels.
Owen Gibson
Monday May 20, 2002
Sir Alex Ferguson
Manchester United is threatening the Sunday Mirror with legal action over a story alleging that £28m Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron had walked out on the club.
The story was the catalyst for United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's rant at reporters at a packed press conference the following Monday, when he accused them of being a "disgrace to journalism" and ordered them from the club's training ground.
He was angered by a story in the Sunday Mirror which alleged that Veron had played his last game for Manchester United and was on his way out of the club. A Manchester United spokesman confirmed that a letter had been sent to Trinity Mirror by the club's solicitors.
The Argentine international - a record signing for a British club when he arrived last summer - has had a mixed season at Old Trafford, with his arrival being blamed by some commentators on United's failure to win anything this season.
The Sunday Mirror article was one of several that weekend that suggested Veron might be on his way back to Italy, but it went further than most of its rivals in suggesting he didn't get on with his team mates.
"He's a fecking great player. You are fecking idiots," Ferguson is said to have told reporters at a press conference the day after the article came out.
A spokesman for Trinity Mirror confirmed that a complaint had been received and was being pursued through the normal channels.
